LOS
ANGELES, Aug. 7, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- In a
precedent-setting legal battle, plaintiff Gustavo Reyes Gonzalez, a 34-year-old immigrant
from Mexico, has received a
verdict for $52,437,366 in
damages after a Los Angeles County
jury found the defendant manufacturers of artificial stone slabs
liable for his fatal accelerated silicosis. This landmark verdict
marks the first of its kind in the U.S., highlighting the severe
health risks associated with the fabrication of artificial stone
(quartz) slabs to make kitchen and bathroom countertops.
The lawsuit involved over 30 artificial stone slab manufacturer
and supplier defendants, with many resolving before trial, however
Caesarstone USA, Cambria, and Color Marble went to verdict
after a month-long trial. The jury found in favor of
plaintiff Gustavo Reyes Gonzalez,
and against the three remaining defendants in the amount of
$52,437,366 in damages.
Gustavo Reyes Gonzalez was
represented by a trial team from the law firm Brayton Purcell LLP
consisting of Gilbert Purcell,
James Nevin, Daniel Morse, and Gabriela Monoz-Gomez and by Raphael Metzger and Scott Brust of the Metzger Law Group. He
worked in stone fabrication shops for 15 years until at age 33 he
developed accelerated silicosis resulting in a lung
transplant. However, transplanted lungs only function an
average of 5 years, requiring him to get repeated lung transplants
to survive.
Lead trial partner, Gilbert
Purcell of Brayton Purcell LLP stated: "On behalf of our
client Gustavo Reyes Gonzalez, and
our entire trial team, we want to thank the jury for their
courageous verdict. Thank goodness for jurors and our civil
justice system."
Partner James Nevin of Brayton
Purcell LLP stated: "Since this is the first of hundreds of trials,
it was important for the artificial stone slab manufacturer and
supplier defendants to hear the message loud and clear from the
jury – stop selling your deadly fashion products. The health
and lives of these young fabrication workers are far more important
than your profits. The jury heard the evidence that the
defendants' warnings, when actually conveyed at all, are entirely
inadequate, and that the defendants' products are inherently
defective in that they cannot be fabricated safely. The jury
rightly rejected the defendants' efforts to place the blame for
accelerated silicosis on plaintiff's unsophisticated hirers who
never received any warnings at all from the defendants. The
defendants have known for decades that their artificial stone
products are deadly to fabrication workers, and yet they continue
to sell it, in relentless pursuit of profits over worker
safety. We hope that upon hearing about this verdict, more
fabrication workers will come forward, having learned that they too
have a right to justice. And, we hope that consumers, will hear
about this verdict, and stop buying these deadly products."
This case sheds light on the growing health crisis among
fabrication workers caused by artificial stone slabs. While the
defendants tried to blame his silicosis on the fabrication shop
that hired him, Brayton Purcell LLP represents over 150 fabrication
workers with silicosis who worked at over 350 different fabrication
shops. The problem is the product, not the shops. This
is why Australia banned it as
impossible to be fabricated without causing workers to develop
fatal silicosis. Reports indicate a rise in silicosis cases
among workers exposed to quartz dust, prompting calls for stricter
safety regulations. More information on the hazards of fabricating
artificial stone and Gustavo
Reyes-Gonzalez's story can be found in the following
resources:
Incurable silicosis cost a countertop cutter his lungs. Are
these companies at fault?—Los Angeles Times
Deadly Dust—Spectrum News, Los
Angeles
Production of artificial stone countertops causing deadly lung
issues in workers - CBS News
Emerging Health Concern: Silicosis-NBC, Los Angeles
California Bill on Silicosis Safety Measures
A License to Kill is No Solution--Brayton Purcell Press
Release
Diseases Associated with Artificial Stone
The Silicosis Epidemic
Brayton Purcell Featured in The Hill—Press Release
July, 2023-- Dr. Jane Fazio from
UCLA and Dr. Sheiphali Gandhi from UCSF
– JAMA (Journal of the American Medical Association)
August 2012 – Dr. Mordechai Kramer, et. al – Chest
This verdict is not just a victory for Mr. Reyes-Gonzalez, but
also a significant step towards greater accountability and safety
in the artificial stone slab industry.
Media Contact:
Brayton Purcell, LLP
James Nevin
jnevin@braytonlaw.com
(415) 493-3531
This press release is provided by Brayton Purcell, LLP, representing Gustavo Reyes-Gonzalez in his landmark case
against the manufacturers of artificial stone materials.
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SOURCE Brayton Purcell LLP