St. Louis County former Ford mechanic awarded $20M in asbestos suit

Mechanic alleges 1960s exposure to asbestos in vehicle brakes led to cancer diagnosis

ST. LOUIS  — A south St. Louis County man who sued Ford Motor Co. over his exposure to asbestos has been awarded $20 million.

In his lawsuit, William Trokey, 76, alleged that his exposure to asbestos while working on Ford brakes as a gas station mechanic in the 1960s led to him being diagnosed with mesothelioma, a form of cancer.

Ford

This Feb. 15, 2018, file photo shows a Ford logo on display at the Pittsburgh Auto Show. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File / AP Newsroom)

After a two-week trial, a St. Louis jury on Thursday ordered Ford to pay $10 million to Trokey and $10 million in punitive damages to his wife, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported.

UNPAID MEDICAL BILLS ACCOUNT FOR 58% OF DEBT IN COLLECTIONS: CFPB REPORT

Under Missouri law, $5 million of the punitive damages goes to the state Tort Victims’ Compensation Fund.

Ticker Security Last Change Change %
F FORD MOTOR CO. 10.81 +0.09 +0.79%

A Ford spokesperson said "Our sympathy goes out to the Trokey family and while we respect the jury’s decision, we plan to appeal."

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