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Dust of Death: A Shipyard’s Toxic Legacy

Client: Walter Kowalski
Category: Industrial Mesothelioma
Start Date: September 8
End Date: June 3
Tag: Asbestos, Workplace Safety
Budgets: $145,000.00 USD

Walter Kowalski spent 32 years installing asbestos insulation at Baltimore shipyards before developing terminal mesothelioma. This case exposed how manufacturers knowingly endangered workers despite medical warnings dating to the 1930s.

Defendants argued:

  • Alternative causation from smoking history
  • Statute of limitations defenses
  • Bankruptcy protections

Our evidence included:

  • 1966 internal memos joking about “snowy” working conditions

  • Lung biopsy showing amphibole fibers

  • Corporate documents discussing suppressed research

  • Co-worker testimony about lack of protective gear

After navigating 14 bankrupt defendants, we secured $3.2 million from remaining solvent manufacturers.

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