Verdict holds the manufacturer and supplier accountable under negligence law for exposure to asbestos and resulting mesothelioma death
SEATTLE – October 16, 2025 – A King County jury has awarded $13.5 million in damages to the widow of a man who died from mesothelioma caused by decades-old asbestos exposure linked to Union Carbide and Elementis Chemicals.
The verdict brings long-awaited justice to the victim, an electrician and yard crew worker at paper mill Longview Fibre in Longview, Wash. While on the job, he was unknowingly exposed to a variety of asbestos materials at the mill, including raw chrysotile supplied and distributed by the defendants for use in the papermaking process
The defendants argued that the plaintiff’s mesothelioma was caused by the amphibole forms of asbestos used throughout the mill, their asbestos does not cause mesothelioma, and that Longview Fibre was to blame for failing to protect their employees from asbestos harm.
However, the jury found that Union Carbide and Elementis Chemicals were negligent for failing to warn workers that their products could cause cancer, failing to instruct users, and failing to substitute safer alternatives.
The case was brought by Oslund Udo Little, a Seattle-based law firm nationally recognized for representing victims of asbestos exposure and their families.
“This verdict shows that companies who put profits over people’s health and safety will be held accountable,” said Chandler Udo, lead trial attorney for the plaintiffs and partner at Oslund Udo Little who tried the case with Rachel Moore and trial paralegal Nick Fagan. “Our client’s death was entirely preventable. Union Carbide and Elementis Chemicals knew the risks of asbestos for decades and failed to warn or protect hardworking individuals like our client.”
The lawsuit detailed that the victim’s exposure occurred between the 1960’s to 1980 when he handled or worked near asbestos products used at Longview Fibre. He was diagnosed with mesothelioma in December 2023 and died only a few months later in March 2024.
“Nothing can undo the suffering this family endured,” Udo added. “But this verdict provides them with a measure of justice and honors the memory of a man who simply showed up to work every day to do his job.”
About Oslund Udo Little
The Seattle-based law firm of Oslund Udo Little (OUL) has stood for justice for ordinary people. Largely serving clients who live or have worked in Washington and Oregon, OUL is active in courts throughout this region, recovering millions of dollars for its clients. Recently, OUL has secured jury verdicts of $13 million for a Kent, WA woman for medical malpractice involving cosmetic surgery; $30 million for an Oregon man diagnosed with cancer caused by asbestos; $11.2 million for a mesothelioma victim in Tacoma, Washington; $10 million for “take home” shipyard asbestos exposure in Seattle, Washington. OUL has also successfully settled claims brought on behalf of survivors of child sexual abuse for millions of dollars.
