{"id":267302,"date":"2024-08-08T10:59:00","date_gmt":"2024-08-08T02:46:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hispanicprwire.com\/english-historic-verdict-in-los-angeles-california-jury-returns-a-52437366-to-silicosis-victim-in-landmark-artificial-stone-case\/"},"modified":"2024-08-08T11:10:02","modified_gmt":"2024-08-08T15:10:02","slug":"veredicto-historico-en-los-angeles-california-el-jurado-devuelve-52437366-a-la-victima-de-silicosis-en-un-caso-historico-de-piedra-artificial","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hispanicprwire.com\/en\/veredicto-historico-en-los-angeles-california-el-jurado-devuelve-52437366-a-la-victima-de-silicosis-en-un-caso-historico-de-piedra-artificial\/","title":{"rendered":"Historic Verdict in Los Angeles, California: Jury Returns a $52,437,366 to Silicosis Victim in Landmark Artificial Stone Case"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<style type=\"text\/css\"><![CDATA[\n\/* Style Definitions *\/\nspan.prnews_span\n{\nfont-size:8pt;\nfont-family:\"Arial\";\ncolor:black;\n}\na.prnews_a\n{\ncolor:blue;\n}\nli.prnews_li\n{\nfont-size:8pt;\nfont-family:\"Arial\";\ncolor:black;\n}\np.prnews_p\n{\nfont-size:0.62em;\nfont-family:\"Arial\";\ncolor:black;\nmargin:0in;\n}\n]]><\/style>\n<div class=\"xn-content\">\n<p><span class=\"xn-location\">LOS ANGELES<\/span>, <span class=\"xn-chron\">Aug. 7, 2024<\/span> \/PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE\/ &#8212; In a precedent-setting legal battle, plaintiff <span class=\"xn-person\">Gustavo Reyes Gonzalez<\/span>, a 34-year-old immigrant from <span class=\"xn-location\">Mexico<\/span>, has received a verdict for <span class=\"xn-money\">$52,437,366<\/span> in damages after a <span class=\"xn-location\">Los Angeles County<\/span> jury found the defendant manufacturers of artificial stone slabs liable for his fatal accelerated silicosis. This landmark verdict marks the first of its kind in the\u00a0U.S., highlighting the severe health risks associated with the fabrication of artificial stone (quartz) slabs to make kitchen and bathroom countertops.<\/p>\n<div id=\"prni_dvprnejpg541eleft\" dir=\"ltr\" style=\"width: 100%; text-align: left;\"><img decoding=\"async\" id=\"prnejpg541eleft\" title=\"Brayton Purcell, LLP-- Attorneys Helping People. Providing excellent service to our clients is the highest goal of Brayton Purcell LLP. We pledge to work ceaselessly on your behalf, providing exceptional advocacy and unparalleled responsiveness. The compassion for and dedication to our clients can be witnessed both in and out of the courtroom. With compassion, dedication and a fierce pursuit of justice, we have secured record rulings for victims of diseases caused by the failure of manufacturers.\" src=\"https:\/\/mma.prnewswire.com\/media\/2389281\/bp_blue_HIGHRES_print_Logo.jpg\" alt=\"Brayton Purcell, LLP-- Attorneys Helping People. Providing excellent service to our clients is the highest goal of Brayton Purcell LLP. We pledge to work ceaselessly on your behalf, providing exceptional advocacy and unparalleled responsiveness. The compassion for and dedication to our clients can be witnessed both in and out of the courtroom. With compassion, dedication and a fierce pursuit of justice, we have secured record rulings for victims of diseases caused by the failure of manufacturers.\" align=\"middle\"\/><\/div>\n<p>The lawsuit involved over 30 artificial stone slab manufacturer and supplier defendants, with many resolving before trial, however Caesarstone <span class=\"xn-location\">USA<\/span>, <span class=\"xn-location\">Cambria<\/span>, and Color Marble went to verdict after a month-long trial.\u00a0 The jury found in favor of plaintiff <span class=\"xn-person\">Gustavo Reyes Gonzalez<\/span>, and against the three remaining defendants in the amount of <span class=\"xn-money\">$52,437,366<\/span> in damages.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"xn-person\">Gustavo Reyes Gonzalez<\/span> was represented by a trial team from the law firm Brayton Purcell LLP consisting of <span class=\"xn-person\">Gilbert Purcell<\/span>, <span class=\"xn-person\">James Nevin<\/span>, <span class=\"xn-person\">Daniel Morse<\/span>, and <span class=\"xn-person\">Gabriela Monoz-Gomez<\/span> and by <span class=\"xn-person\">Raphael Metzger<\/span> and <span class=\"xn-person\">Scott Brust<\/span> of the Metzger Law Group.\u00a0 He worked in stone fabrication shops for 15 years until at age 33 he developed accelerated silicosis resulting in a lung transplant.\u00a0 However, transplanted lungs only function an average of 5 years, requiring him to get repeated lung transplants to survive.<\/p>\n<p>Lead trial partner, <span class=\"xn-person\">Gilbert Purcell<\/span> of Brayton Purcell LLP stated: &#8220;On behalf of our client <span class=\"xn-person\">Gustavo Reyes Gonzalez<\/span>, and our entire trial team, we want to thank the jury for their courageous verdict.\u00a0 Thank goodness for jurors and our civil justice system.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Partner <span class=\"xn-person\">James Nevin<\/span> of Brayton Purcell LLP stated: &#8220;Since this is the first of hundreds of trials, it was important for the artificial stone slab manufacturer and supplier defendants to hear the message loud and clear from the jury \u2013 stop selling your deadly fashion products.\u00a0 The health and lives of these young fabrication workers are far more important than your profits.\u00a0 The jury heard the evidence that the defendants&#8217; warnings, when actually conveyed at all, are entirely inadequate, and that the defendants&#8217; products are inherently defective in that they cannot be fabricated safely.\u00a0 The jury rightly rejected the defendants&#8217; efforts to place the blame for accelerated silicosis on plaintiff&#8217;s unsophisticated hirers who never received any warnings at all from the defendants.\u00a0 The defendants have known for decades that their artificial stone products are deadly to fabrication workers, and yet they continue to sell it, in relentless pursuit of profits over worker safety.\u00a0 We hope that upon hearing about this verdict, more fabrication workers will come forward, having learned that they too have a right to justice. And, we hope that consumers, will hear about this verdict, and stop buying these deadly products.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>This case sheds light on the growing health crisis among fabrication workers caused by artificial stone slabs. While the defendants tried to blame his silicosis on the fabrication shop that hired him, Brayton Purcell LLP represents over 150 fabrication workers with silicosis who worked at over 350 different fabrication shops.\u00a0 The problem is the product, not the shops.\u00a0 This is why <span class=\"xn-location\">Australia<\/span> banned it as impossible to be fabricated without causing workers to develop fatal silicosis.\u00a0 Reports indicate a rise in silicosis cases among workers exposed to quartz dust, prompting calls for stricter safety regulations. More information on the hazards of fabricating artificial stone and <span class=\"xn-person\">Gustavo Reyes-Gonzalez&#8217;s<\/span> story can be found in the following resources:<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/c212.net\/c\/link\/?t=0&amp;l=en&amp;o=4228993-1&amp;h=195003277&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fcalifornia%2Fstory%2F2024-07-28%2Fsilicosis-lawsuit-engineered-stone&amp;a=Incurable+silicosis+cost+a+countertop+cutter+his+lungs.+Are+these+companies+at+fault%3F%E2%80%94Los+Angeles+Times\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Incurable silicosis cost a countertop cutter his lungs. Are these companies at fault?\u2014Los Angeles Times<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/c212.net\/c\/link\/?t=0&amp;l=en&amp;o=4228993-1&amp;h=714565275&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DkkZB1eYCoaU%26t%3D6s&amp;a=Deadly+Dust%E2%80%94Spectrum+News%2C+Los+Angeles\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Deadly Dust\u2014Spectrum News, <span class=\"xn-location\">Los Angeles<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/c212.net\/c\/link\/?t=0&amp;l=en&amp;o=4228993-1&amp;h=3648255955&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Fvimeo.com%2F913479234&amp;a=Production+of+artificial+stone+countertops+causing+deadly+lung+issues+in+workers+-+CBS+News\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Production of artificial stone countertops causing deadly lung issues in workers &#8211; CBS News<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/c212.net\/c\/link\/?t=0&amp;l=en&amp;o=4228993-1&amp;h=1878199477&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nbclosangeles.com%2Fnews%2Flocal%2Femerging-health-concern-silicosis-deadly-lung-disease-linked-engineered-countertops%2F3455435%2F&amp;a=Emerging+Health+Concern%3A+Silicosis-NBC%2C+Los+Angeles\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Emerging Health Concern: Silicosis-NBC, <span class=\"xn-location\">Los Angeles<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/c212.net\/c\/link\/?t=0&amp;l=en&amp;o=4228993-1&amp;h=1180648197&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nbclosangeles.com%2Fnews%2Flocal%2Fcalifornia-bill-silicosis-safety-measures-abandoned-as-cases-rise%2F3462429%2F&amp;a=California+Bill+on+Silicosis+Safety+Measures\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">California Bill on Silicosis Safety Measures<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/c212.net\/c\/link\/?t=0&amp;l=en&amp;o=4228993-1&amp;h=3511290489&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Fbraytonlaw.com%2Fpress-releases%2Fa-license-to-kill-is-no-solution&amp;a=A+License+to+Kill+is+No+Solution--Brayton+Purcell+Press+Release\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">A License to Kill is No Solution&#8211;Brayton Purcell Press Release<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/c212.net\/c\/link\/?t=0&amp;l=en&amp;o=4228993-1&amp;h=1040286922&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Fbraytonlaw.com%2Fblog%2F2024%2F05%2F27%2Fdiseases-associated-with-artificial-stone%2F&amp;a=Diseases+Associated+with+Artificial+Stone\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Diseases Associated with Artificial Stone<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/c212.net\/c\/link\/?t=0&amp;l=en&amp;o=4228993-1&amp;h=4181457342&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Fbraytonlaw.com%2Fblog%2F2024%2F05%2F20%2Fa-preventable-tragedy-the-silicosis-epidemic-among-artificial-stone-workers%2F&amp;a=The+Silicosis+Epidemic\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">The Silicosis Epidemic<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/c212.net\/c\/link\/?t=0&amp;l=en&amp;o=4228993-1&amp;h=3549495328&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.prnewswire.com%2Fnews-releases%2Fbrayton-purcell-llp-featured-in-article-published-by-the-hill-302120128.html&amp;a=Brayton+Purcell+Featured+in+The+Hill%E2%80%94Press+Release\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Brayton Purcell Featured in The Hill\u2014Press Release<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/c212.net\/c\/link\/?t=0&amp;l=en&amp;o=4228993-1&amp;h=3122208439&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Fjamanetwork.com%2Fjournals%2Fjamainternalmedicine%2Farticle-abstract%2F2807615&amp;a=July%2C+2023--+Dr.+Jane+Fazio+from+UCLA+and+Dr.+Sheiphali+Gandhi+from+UCSF+%E2%80%93+JAMA+(Journal+of+the+American+Medical+Association)\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">July, 2023&#8211; Dr. <span class=\"xn-person\">Jane Fazio<\/span> from <span class=\"xn-org\">UCLA<\/span> and Dr. Sheiphali Gandhi from UCSF \u2013 JAMA (Journal of the American Medical Association)<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/c212.net\/c\/link\/?t=0&amp;l=en&amp;o=4228993-1&amp;h=3665918506&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Fjournal.chestnet.org%2Farticle%2FS0012-3692(12)60455-3%2Fabstract&amp;a=August+2012+%E2%80%93+Dr.+Mordechai+Kramer%2C+et.+al+%E2%80%93+Chest\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"xn-chron\">August 2012<\/span> \u2013 Dr. <span class=\"xn-person\">Mordechai Kramer<\/span>, et. al \u2013 Chest<\/a><\/p>\n<p>This verdict is not just a victory for Mr. Reyes-Gonzalez, but also a significant step towards greater accountability and safety in the artificial stone slab industry.<\/p>\n<p>Media Contact:<br \/><span class=\"xn-person\">Brayton Purcell<\/span>, LLP <br \/><span class=\"xn-person\">James Nevin<\/span><br \/><a href=\"mailto:jnevin@braytonlaw.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">jnevin@braytonlaw.com<\/a><br \/>(415) 493-3531<\/p>\n<p><i>This press release is provided by <span class=\"xn-person\">Brayton Purcell<\/span>, LLP, representing <span class=\"xn-person\">Gustavo Reyes-Gonzalez<\/span> in his landmark case against the manufacturers of artificial stone materials.<\/i><\/p>\n<p>Logo &#8211; <a href=\"https:\/\/c212.net\/c\/link\/?t=0&amp;l=en&amp;o=4228993-1&amp;h=3634159692&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Fmma.prnewswire.com%2Fmedia%2F2389281%2Fbp_blue_HIGHRES_print_Logo.jpg&amp;a=https%3A%2F%2Fmma.prnewswire.com%2Fmedia%2F2389281%2Fbp_blue_HIGHRES_print_Logo.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">https:\/\/mma.prnewswire.com\/media\/2389281\/bp_blue_HIGHRES_print_Logo.jpg<\/a><\/p>\n<p>SOURCE  Brayton Purcell LLP<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div class=\"xn-content\">\n<p><span class=\"xn-location\">LOS ANGELES<\/span>, <span class=\"xn-chron\">Aug. 7, 2024<\/span> \/PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE\/ &#8212; In a precedent-setting legal battle, plaintiff <span class=\"xn-person\">Gustavo Reyes Gonzalez<\/span>, a 34-year-old immigrant from <span class=\"xn-location\">Mexico<\/span>, has received a verdict for <span class=\"xn-money\">$52,437,366<\/span> in damages after a <span class=\"xn-location\">Los Angeles County<\/span> jury found the defendant manufacturers of artificial stone slabs liable for his fatal accelerated silicosis. This landmark verdict&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":267303,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-267302","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-interes-humano"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hispanicprwire.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/267302","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hispanicprwire.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hispanicprwire.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hispanicprwire.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hispanicprwire.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=267302"}],"version-history":[{"count":"1","href":"https:\/\/hispanicprwire.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/267302\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":267314,"href":"https:\/\/hispanicprwire.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/267302\/revisions\/267314"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hispanicprwire.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/267303"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hispanicprwire.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=267302"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hispanicprwire.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=267302"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hispanicprwire.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=267302"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}