Massachusetts Mesothelioma Verdicts and Settlements

Massachusetts’s above-average mesothelioma rate has translated into a series of significant verdicts. In September 2025, a Middlesex County jury returned an $83 million verdict against AMACO in Lapointe, the largest reported asbestos verdict in state history. Two earlier 2025 talc cases, Lovell (filed in Middlesex, tried before a Suffolk County jury in Boston) and Paluzzi (Suffolk County), produced a combined $50.6 million. Older shipyard, mill, and industrial cases continue to resolve through the same multi-defendant pattern seen across the industrial Northeast.

Notable Massachusetts Outcomes

Lapointe v. American Art Clay Company ($83 million)

On September 18-19, 2025, a Middlesex County Superior Court jury awarded $83 million in Lapointe v. American Art Clay Company (AMACO), Civil Action No. 2181CV06597. The breakdown was $10 million for Judith Lapointe’s pain and suffering, $13 million for husband Michael Lapointe’s loss of consortium, and $60 million in punitive damages after the jury found AMACO’s conduct was malicious, willful, wanton, or reckless. This is the largest reported asbestos verdict in Massachusetts history.

Judith Lapointe died of mesothelioma after operating an in-home ceramics studio with AMACO clay products containing asbestos from the 1950s through the 1990s. Plaintiff counsel included Sam Iola and Rachel Gross of Iola, Gross & Forbes-King; Michael P. Joyce and Rafael Colmenares of the Law Offices of Michael P. Joyce; and Joe Belluck of Belluck Law. AMACO publicly stated on September 19, 2025 that it would file post-trial motions and pursue an appeal if necessary. As of April 2026, no appellate ruling has been entered on the public record.

Lovell v. Johnson & Johnson ($42.6 million)

In July 2025, a Suffolk County jury in Boston awarded Paul and Kathryn Lovell of Melrose $42,609,300 in Civil Action No. 21-2086, a case filed in Middlesex County Superior Court and tried in Boston. The jury found Johnson & Johnson liable for negligence, breach of warranty, and defective design, concluding that asbestos contamination in J&J’s talc baby powder caused Paul Lovell’s mesothelioma. The jury did not find failure-to-warn liability. Damages broke down as $24 million for Paul Lovell’s past and future pain and suffering, $2.6 million in medical expenses, and $16 million in loss of consortium for Kathryn Lovell.

Paul Lovell, a 69-year-old former banker and rideshare driver, was diagnosed with mesothelioma in 2021 after roughly 40 years of using J&J baby powder on himself and his children. He reported no occupational asbestos exposure. Plaintiff counsel included Aaron Chapman and Danny Kraft of Dean Omar Branham Shirley LLP, and Leslie-Anne Taylor and Andrea Marino Landry of Thornton Law Firm LLP. Johnson & Johnson announced an intent to appeal on July 29, 2025, calling the verdict “junk science.” No primary court records confirm an appellate filing or ruling as of April 2026.

Full case detail: $42.6M J&J talc verdict in Massachusetts.

Paluzzi v. Johnson & Johnson ($8 million)

In June 2025, a Suffolk County Superior Court jury awarded $8 million to 84-year-old Janice Paluzzi in Civil Action No. 21-2109, allocated as $5 million for past pain and suffering and $3 million for future pain and suffering. The jury found J&J liable for negligence and breach of warranty. Paluzzi was diagnosed with mesothelioma in 2021 and attributed her exposure to decades of using J&J baby powder on herself and her seven children, with no other known asbestos exposure. The June 2025 trial (June 2-11, 2025) was a retrial following an October 2024 proceeding.

Plaintiff counsel included Ben Braly, Anthony Bianco, and Aaron Chapman of Dean Omar Branham Shirley; Brian Kenney of Early, Lucarelli, Sweeney & Meisenkothen; and Amy Carter of Carter Law Group. J&J was represented by Tara Blake of Kirkland & Ellis. As of April 2026, no appeal has been located on the public record.

Full case detail: $8M J&J talc verdict in Massachusetts (Paluzzi).

Sylvestre v. New England Insulation ($7.55 million)

In September 2017, a Suffolk County Superior Court jury returned a $7.55 million verdict in Sylvestre v. New England Insulation, allocated as $3 million in medical expenses, $3 million in pain and suffering, $50,000 in lost earning capacity, and consortium damages. Gerald Sylvestre, a New England power plant worker, developed mesothelioma after exposure to asbestos insulation handled by New England Insulation through the early 1970s. The verdict was reported as a regional record at the time and has since been surpassed by Lovell and Lapointe.

Shipyard and Industrial History

Massachusetts shipyard cases draw on the same industrial history that produced the state’s elevated mesothelioma rate. Fore River Shipyard in Quincy peaked at approximately 32,000 workers during World War II under Bethlehem Steel operations, including roughly 1,200 women across three shifts. Charlestown Navy Yard (Boston Naval Shipyard) reached approximately 50,000 workers at its 1942-1944 peak. Both yards embedded asbestos in pipe covering, boiler lagging, gaskets, turbine wrapping, and fireproofing. Textile and paper mill workers in Lowell, Lawrence, Fall River, and New Bedford handled asbestos gaskets, insulation, and steam pipes across long careers, and construction tradespeople, particularly pipefitters, insulators, and electricians, have also recovered compensation tied to pre-1980 commercial and public building work.

Typical Compensation

Most Massachusetts mesothelioma cases resolve through a combination of lawsuit settlements and trust fund claims. Combined recovery depends on the strength of the exposure evidence, the number of responsible manufacturers that can be identified, and the plaintiff’s employment and medical history.

Filing Deadlines

Massachusetts has a three-year statute of limitations for personal injury mesothelioma claims under MGL Chapter 260, Section 2A, with the clock starting at diagnosis under the discovery rule. Wrongful death claims under MGL Chapter 229, Section 2 are also subject to a three-year limit and are derivative of the underlying personal injury claim under the Fabiano rule: the wrongful death action is viable only if the personal injury claim was timely at the time of death.

A separate six-year statute of repose under MGL Chapter 260, Section 2B applies to claims arising from improvements to real property. In Stearns v. Metropolitan Life Insurance Co., SJC-12544 (2019), the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court held that this six-year deadline bars latent asbestos disease claims, including mesothelioma, against architects, engineers, contractors, designers, and others involved in design, planning, construction, or general administration of improvements. The clock runs six years from substantial completion or occupancy, with no tolling for latency. Importantly, the repose statute does not apply to products liability claims against manufacturers and suppliers of asbestos-containing materials, which remain available subject to the three-year limitations period.

Three years is longer than Pennsylvania’s two-year deadline and matches New York’s three-year window and Washington’s three-year deadline. Because mesothelioma exposure often traces back 30 to 50 years and involves multiple employers and products, investigation should begin as early as possible after diagnosis.