$115.6 Million Birmingham Verdict: Alabama Mesothelioma Cases

Alabama’s mesothelioma verdicts reflect the state’s two dominant exposure corridors: Birmingham’s steel industry and Mobile’s shipbuilding operations. Juries in both cities have heard detailed evidence about the conditions that exposed workers to asbestos for decades and have returned substantial awards.

The $115.6 million Birmingham verdict for 21 steelworkers in 1998 and the ongoing Mobile shipyard cases, including take-home exposure claims tied to ADDSCO, demonstrate that Alabama juries have held companies accountable when the evidence shows they exposed workers to a known carcinogen.

Major Alabama Mesothelioma Verdicts

$115.6 Million: 1998 Birmingham Steelworker Verdict

In 1998, a Jefferson County jury awarded $115.6 million to 21 steelworkers who developed mesothelioma, asbestos-related lung cancer, and asbestosis after years of exposure at a Birmingham U.S. Steel plant. The award included $15.6 million in compensatory damages and roughly $100 million in punitive damages. Defendants included Carborundum Company, U.S. Steel, and Carnegie Steel.

The case centered on asbestos-containing grinding wheels that workers used to cut pipes inside the mill, often without respiratory protection or warnings about the hazards of the material. Trial testimony described gross negligence in failing to warn workers or provide protective equipment.

The working conditions described in the Birmingham case are consistent with those documented at steel mills across the industrial Midwest, including Chicago’s Southeast Side and Gary, Indiana, where similar verdicts have been reached.

The $115.6 million figure was one of the largest asbestos awards of its era against U.S. Steel and remains among the largest mesothelioma verdicts recorded in the Southeast. Payments from the verdict have continued decades later because of the long latency of asbestos disease. The appellate disposition of the award is not publicly documented in Alabama Supreme Court records, and the article does not characterize it as finally affirmed.

Mobile Shipyards and the Gloria Craig Take-Home Exposure Case

Alabama Dry Dock and Shipbuilding Co. (ADDSCO) in Mobile is one of the most-named employers in Gulf Coast asbestos litigation. Workers handled asbestos insulation in boiler rooms and engine compartments aboard vessels under construction and repair, including the USS Lexington. Fiber concentrations in those confined spaces far exceeded levels found in open industrial settings.

Gloria Craig, a Mobile resident, filed a mesothelioma lawsuit on June 23, 2022, in Mobile County Circuit Court. She alleged she developed the disease through take-home asbestos exposure from her ex-husband’s work clothes after his employment at ADDSCO. Named defendants included Paramount Global (Westinghouse), General Electric, and A.W. Chesterton Co., tied to asbestos products used on the USS Lexington.

Defendants removed the case to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Alabama in November 2022 under federal officer jurisdiction, and the court later denied Craig’s motion to remand. The case illustrates how take-home exposure claims have extended Alabama asbestos litigation to family members of shipyard workers.

Similar shipyard exposure cases have produced verdicts at Gulf Coast yards in Jacksonville and Tampa and at Atlantic yards in Savannah.

What These Verdicts Mean

Alabama mesothelioma verdicts reveal several patterns relevant to families considering legal action.

Industrial exposure cases succeed. Both major Alabama verdicts involved traditional industrial exposure, steelworkers in Birmingham and shipyard workers in Mobile, the two industries that created the bulk of Alabama’s extensive documented industrial asbestos exposure. The evidence base for these cases is strong, built on decades of documented asbestos use at specific facilities.

Jefferson County has become the primary venue. Birmingham’s Jefferson County leads Alabama mesothelioma litigation because of its proximity to the state’s largest concentration of steel mills and industrial facilities. Juries there are familiar with the industries involved and the conditions that created the exposure. For Gulf Coast cases, Mobile County serves as the main alternative venue. The city’s history as a major shipbuilding center means local juries understand the working conditions described by shipyard plaintiffs.

Compensatory and punitive damages are both available. Alabama law permits compensatory damages for medical costs, lost income, and pain and suffering, and punitive damages to punish particularly reckless conduct. Under Ala. Code § 6-11-21, punitive damages in physical-injury actions are capped at the greater of three times compensatory damages or $1,500,000. Wrongful death actions under § 6-5-410 are explicitly exempt from that cap per § 6-11-21(j). The availability of punitive damages can significantly increase total recovery in cases where evidence of corporate knowledge and concealment is strong. For comparison, Illinois mesothelioma verdicts in the Cook County corridor have also leveraged punitive damages in cases involving documented corporate concealment.

Filing Deadlines

Alabama has a two-year statute of limitations for personal injury mesothelioma claims under Ala. Code § 6-2-38, starting from the date of diagnosis. Wrongful death claims under Ala. Code § 6-5-410 must be filed within two years of the date of death. The controlling accrual rule is set by Griffin v. Unocal Corp., 990 So. 2d 291 (Ala. 2008), which established that the limitations period begins when an injury manifests as observable symptoms or a medically identifiable disease, not at the time of last asbestos exposure.

These deadlines are strictly enforced. Missing them can permanently bar a family from pursuing compensation, regardless of the strength of the underlying case. Families considering legal action often speak with an attorney early, both to preserve evidence and to avoid running out the clock during the investigation of exposure history. People receiving a new mesothelioma diagnosis can also review the current treatment landscape, which has evolved significantly with immunotherapy and surgical advances.

Beyond Verdicts: Trust Funds and Settlements

Jury verdicts are the most visible form of mesothelioma compensation, but most Alabama cases resolve through settlement rather than trial. Many families also recover from asbestos trust funds established by bankrupt manufacturers.

The companies that supplied asbestos products to Birmingham steel mills and Mobile shipyards include many that have since filed for bankruptcy and established trust funds. An experienced mesothelioma attorney can identify all applicable trusts based on a worker’s employment history and the specific products used at their jobsites. Trust fund claims proceed independently of lawsuits and can provide additional compensation on a faster timeline.