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Jury Verdict on Stone Fabrication Lawsuit
In August, a California jury found in favor of a stone fabrication worker who sued artificial stone slab manufacturers, alleging that they were responsible for his accelerated silicosis. Gustavo Reyes Gonzalez, 34, had undergone a lung transplant and is likely to need another. The jury ruled that the three defendants were partially liable for Reyes Gonzalez’s illness.
Information about the verdict and California’s stone fabrication workforce appears below.
Information about the verdict and California’s stone fabrication workforce appears below.
From the Los Angeles Times:
“In California, more than a dozen countertop cutters have died of silicosis in recent years. In a recent study of the emerging cases and fatalities, researchers found the median age at death was 46.”
SOURCES
Brayton Purcell LLP: “Groundbreaking Verdict Rendered in Historic Case Against Artificial Stone Manufacturers” (August 2024).
California Department of Industrial Relations: “Occupational Exposures to Respirable Crystalline Silica—Key Points” (PDF, December 2023).
Daily Journal: “Engineered Stone Companies Found Partially Liable for Worker’s Silicosis” (August 2024).
Los Angeles Times: “Jury Finds Stone Companies at Fault in Lawsuit by Countertop Cutter Sick with Silicosis” (August 2024).
Public Health Watch: “Jury Awards $52.4M in Case Against Artificial-Stone Countertop Makers” (August 2024).
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