MRHFM Wins $18 Million Verdict for Client

March 31, 2025

In March 2025, a jury in Florida found that brake dust was a cause of a woman’s mesothelioma cancer, and held a brake grinder manufacturer, Hennessy Industries, liable for failing to warn of the dangers of asbestos dust caused by its AMMCO brake grinding machines.

Denise Cook, 64, has been diagnosed with peritoneal mesothelioma, which affects the lining of the abdomen. Ms. Cook experienced secondhand exposure to asbestos throughout her childhood. Her father owned an auto shop where he and Ms. Cook’s brothers used a brake grinder while performing mechanical work, which caused them to carry asbestos dust that settled onto their clothes into their home. Ms. Cook was exposed to the asbestos when doing laundry and when visiting her father’s shop. Hennessy Industries failed to warn about the dangers of asbestos dust generated as a result of using its machines.

Attorneys representing Hennessy Industries argued that chrysotile asbestos in brake dust does not cause peritoneal mesothelioma in women and presented an argument that Ms. Cook developed mesothelioma due to her genetic make-up and natural causes. However, Ms. Cook’s attorneys, of Maune Raichle Hartley French & Mudd, provided medical evidence that refuted these baseless claims while showcasing studies over decades that connected asbestos in brake dust to mesothelioma.

“We are proud that the jury resoundingly rejected the false, bought-and-paid-for asbestos industry argument that mechanics and women cannot get peritoneal mesothelioma from exposure to chrysotile asbestos in automotive brakes. The jury spoke loudly and definitively, holding these companies liable for knowingly exposing Ms. Cook, and many others in her position, to a complete carcinogen for years without any warning.”