Woman Settles Out of Court with Georgia-Pacific, Bondex

November 27, 2006 - Just two days into jury selection, an Illinois asbestos plaintiff settled her case with manufacturing giants Georgia-Pacific and Bondex, reports the Madison County Record.

Joyce Applequist, who claimed she was “exposed to and inhaled, ingested or otherwise absorbed large amounts of asbestos fibers emanating from products she was working with or around,” opted not to proceed with a lengthy court trial, which was expected to have lasted until Christmas.

Applequist’s claim stated that “the defendants knew of or should have known that the asbestos fibers contained in their products had a toxic, poisonous, and highly deleterious effect upon the health of people inhaling, ingesting, or otherwise absorbing them.”

She also alleged that she had to “undergo costly medical treatment and that she suffers great physical pain and mental anguish as a result of her asbestos exposure” and that
”the defendants included asbestos in their products even when adequate substitutes were available and failed to provide any or adequate instructions concerning the safe methods of working with and around asbestos.”

The newspaper states that the two companies were found not negligent in the last two suits filed in Madison County but that Georgia-Pacific and Bondex chose to settle this one out-of-court.  No terms of settlement were disclosed.