3.13.2008 10:03 AM

$20 Million Award in Asbestos Injury Case

B Movie Actress and Husband Win Big in Jury Trial

Asbestos fibers, shown here magnified, can cause serious lung damage if inhaled.

Photo: USGS

By Dan Shapley

A film actress and singer who developed the terminal cancer mesothelioma, and her husband, have won a $20 million damage claim against manufacturers of asbestos home remodeling products, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.

Daniel and Joan Mahoney, who starred in a 1960s B movie, "Psycho a Go-Go," sang in nightclubs and toured with the USO, will claim a portion of the award, $7 million from Georgia Pacific Corp., the only defendant that didn't previously settle, according to the Chronicle.

Asbestos lawsuits have continued to be controversial, even long after studies linked disease, particularly mesothelioma, to asbestos exposure. The fibers were used widely in the construction industry as insulation.

It's unclear whether the company can or will appeal.

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