SPOKANE, Wash. — Volkswagen AG of Germany and Volkswagen Group of America were found liable for exposing a Spokane mechanic to carcinogenic asbestos that ultimately lead to his death.
The ruling from a King County jury awarded the now-deceased mechanic and his son $5.75 million in damages.
Thomas Sorrentino worked as a car mechanic from 1972 to 1975 at United Volkswagen in Spokane. His work primarily consisted of replacing brakes and clutches on Volkswagen cars, which Sorrentino's attorney said exposed him to friction material that contained asbestos.
While replacing brakes, Sorrentino's attorney. said he used an Ammco grinding machine in order to arc the brake to fit the drum. He also used an air compressor to blow dust off of the brake drum. This caused asbestos dust to be released into the air, according to Sorrentino's attorney
Sorrentino's attorney argued it was that exposure that later led to his mesothelioma diagnosis in November 2020.
Mesothelioma is a rare type of cancer that develops in the thin layer of tissue that covers most of the internal organs, according to the American Lung Association.
Ultimately, Sorrentino died from his illness in February 2021, shortly after he gave his deposition in this lawsuit.
Sorrentino's lawyer said Volkswagen AG was testing for asbestos at its factories in Germany, but not in the United States at the time of Sorrentino's exposure.
Volkswagen admitted it placed no asbestos warning on its replacement brakes, brake boxes or in any advertisements between 1972 and 1975.
Because of the failure to warn of potential exposure, Sorrentino's attorney said he had no chance to protect himself from asbestos while working as a mechanic.
"While nothing can bring back Mr. Sorrentino nor truly compensate him for the unnecessary pain and suffering he endured as a result of his exposure to asbestos and ensuing diagnosis of mesothelioma, today’s verdict offers some amount of accountability for the harm caused by Volkswagen Group of America and its parent company Volkswagen AG of Germany,” said Chandler H. Udo, Mr. Sorrentino’s attorney and managing partner of the law firm Bergman Draper Oslund Udo.
DOWNLOAD THE KREM SMARTPHONE APP
DOWNLOAD FOR IPHONE HERE | DOWNLOAD FOR ANDROID HERE
HOW TO ADD THE KREM+ APP TO YOUR STREAMING DEVICE
ROKU: add the channel from the ROKU store or by searching for KREM in the Channel Store.
Fire TV: search for "KREM" to find the free app to add to your account. Another option for Fire TV is to have the app delivered directly to your Fire TV through Amazon.
To report a typo or grammatical error, please email webspokane@krem.com.
