"American Dream; American Nightmare" – California Jury Returns a $1.525 Mil Verdict in Toxic Asbestos Exposure Case
Plaintiffs’ law firm Weitz & Luxenberg, P.C. helped secure a seven-figure verdict this month on behalf of a Los Angeles man who developed cancer through his exposure to asbestos-containing construction and automotive products.
New York, NY, July 24, 2013 --(PR.com)-- An 81-year-old Los Angeles man and his wife have has been given a $1.525 million verdict after Weitz & Luxenberg, P.C., a prominent mass tort and personal injury litigation firm, secured a victory in his asbestos-cancer lawsuit this month.
Marty Marteney, a successful architect whose father was an immigrant to the United States from Mexico, was diagnosed with mesothelioma – an aggressive cancer that attacks the lining of the lungs – in May of 2012.
After a three week trial, a Los Angeles Jury returned a verdict on Jul. 1 in favor of Marteney, giving him a judgment against Union Carbide Corporation and Elementis Chemicals, Inc.
Weitz & Luxenberg’s trial team of Wesley King and Brent Zadorozny, speaking in the days following the cancer verdict, said that Marteney’s disease stemmed from his exposure to workers who used asbestos-containing construction products and automotive parts. Union Carbide was a supplier of asbestos fiber and Elementis was the distributor of Union Carbide’s asbestos on the West Coast.
King, a trial attorney in Weitz & Luxenberg’s Los Angeles office, said his team told the jury a story of a man who had worked to embody the American dream, only to be forced into living an American nightmare.
“Mr. Marteney’s story of success and tragedy is closely interwoven,” said King. “Even as a child, his father pulled him out of school and made him work in his auto shop, where he handled these toxic materials without any knowledge of their danger.”
Without an education and with no knowledge of his asbestos exposure, Marteney enlisted in the armed forces, started a family, and later became an apprentice architect.
“Eventually Mr. Marteney returned to school and built a career as a well-respected architect, designing homes for the rich and famous in Beverly Hills,” King said. “Unknowingly, this hard work exposed him to asbestos-containing construction products that would later cause the cancer that would ruin his well-deserved retirement.”
Zadorozny, another trial attorney in Weitz & Luxenberg’s Los Angeles office, said Marteney’s case was caused by tragic corporate irresponsibility, but that his status as one of thousands of mesothelioma victims should not be allowed to eclipse his client’s achievements. “Mr. Marteney is currently undergoing treatment for the one unbeatable obstacle: an incurable cancer that was caused by a toxic substance knowingly included in products by these two defendants,” said Zadorozny.
“But our client’s story is one of achievement,” Zadorozny said. “Mr. Marteney has created a beautiful life around him, put three children through college, and fought for every inch of what he has accomplished. While the reckless business practices of companies like Union Carbide and Elementis Chemicals have caused untold damage, they cannot undo narratives like the one Marty has created.”
Marteney lives in San Marino, Calif. with his wife.
The trial (Case No. BC 489395) was held in California State Superior Court before Judge John Kralik.
About Weitz & Luxenberg
Founded in 1986 by attorneys Perry Weitz and Arthur Luxenberg, Weitz & Luxenberg, P.C., today ranks among the nation’s leading law firms. Weitz & Luxenberg’s numerous litigation areas include: mesothelioma, defective medicine and devices, environmental pollutants, accidents, personal injury, and medical malpractice. Victims of accidents are invited to rely on Weitz & Luxenberg’s more than 25 years of handling such cases – begin by contacting the firm’s Client Relations department at 1-800-476-6070 or at clientrelations@weitzlux.com and ask for a free legal consultation. More information: www.weitzlux.com
Marty Marteney, a successful architect whose father was an immigrant to the United States from Mexico, was diagnosed with mesothelioma – an aggressive cancer that attacks the lining of the lungs – in May of 2012.
After a three week trial, a Los Angeles Jury returned a verdict on Jul. 1 in favor of Marteney, giving him a judgment against Union Carbide Corporation and Elementis Chemicals, Inc.
Weitz & Luxenberg’s trial team of Wesley King and Brent Zadorozny, speaking in the days following the cancer verdict, said that Marteney’s disease stemmed from his exposure to workers who used asbestos-containing construction products and automotive parts. Union Carbide was a supplier of asbestos fiber and Elementis was the distributor of Union Carbide’s asbestos on the West Coast.
King, a trial attorney in Weitz & Luxenberg’s Los Angeles office, said his team told the jury a story of a man who had worked to embody the American dream, only to be forced into living an American nightmare.
“Mr. Marteney’s story of success and tragedy is closely interwoven,” said King. “Even as a child, his father pulled him out of school and made him work in his auto shop, where he handled these toxic materials without any knowledge of their danger.”
Without an education and with no knowledge of his asbestos exposure, Marteney enlisted in the armed forces, started a family, and later became an apprentice architect.
“Eventually Mr. Marteney returned to school and built a career as a well-respected architect, designing homes for the rich and famous in Beverly Hills,” King said. “Unknowingly, this hard work exposed him to asbestos-containing construction products that would later cause the cancer that would ruin his well-deserved retirement.”
Zadorozny, another trial attorney in Weitz & Luxenberg’s Los Angeles office, said Marteney’s case was caused by tragic corporate irresponsibility, but that his status as one of thousands of mesothelioma victims should not be allowed to eclipse his client’s achievements. “Mr. Marteney is currently undergoing treatment for the one unbeatable obstacle: an incurable cancer that was caused by a toxic substance knowingly included in products by these two defendants,” said Zadorozny.
“But our client’s story is one of achievement,” Zadorozny said. “Mr. Marteney has created a beautiful life around him, put three children through college, and fought for every inch of what he has accomplished. While the reckless business practices of companies like Union Carbide and Elementis Chemicals have caused untold damage, they cannot undo narratives like the one Marty has created.”
Marteney lives in San Marino, Calif. with his wife.
The trial (Case No. BC 489395) was held in California State Superior Court before Judge John Kralik.
About Weitz & Luxenberg
Founded in 1986 by attorneys Perry Weitz and Arthur Luxenberg, Weitz & Luxenberg, P.C., today ranks among the nation’s leading law firms. Weitz & Luxenberg’s numerous litigation areas include: mesothelioma, defective medicine and devices, environmental pollutants, accidents, personal injury, and medical malpractice. Victims of accidents are invited to rely on Weitz & Luxenberg’s more than 25 years of handling such cases – begin by contacting the firm’s Client Relations department at 1-800-476-6070 or at clientrelations@weitzlux.com and ask for a free legal consultation. More information: www.weitzlux.com
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Dave Kufeld
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www.weitzlux.com
Dave Kufeld
1-800-476-6070
www.weitzlux.com
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