Ohioan with asbestos-related cancer awarded $27M

CLEVELAND (AP) — A jury in Ohio has awarded a Cleveland-area man suffering from asbestos-related cancer a $27.5 million verdict.

The man’s attorney tells The Plain Dealer that it’s the largest award of its kind in Ohio.

John Panza was diagnosed in 2012 with what is usually a fatal form of lung cancer. The 40-year-old Panza got cancer after being exposed to asbestos dust on the clothes of his father, who worked at a plant that made brakes.

The December verdict means that Livonia, Mich.-based Kelsey-Hayes Co. is responsible for the $27.5 million award to Panza and his wife.

The company is the successor to the firm that made the asbestos brake pads. A message seeking comment was left with the company’s attorneys.

The newspaper reports an appeal is likely.