Oregon Mesothelioma Verdicts and Settlements

Oregon’s position among the seven highest-rate states for mesothelioma in women reflects decades of exposure in Portland shipyards, pulp and paper mills, and the construction trades. That industrial history also translates into an active litigation record, with juries returning significant verdicts against gasket manufacturers, gypsum-board producers, and talcum-powder companies.

Notable Oregon Outcomes

The Long Shipyard Verdict

In September 2025, a Multnomah County jury awarded $34.2 million to Richard D. Long in Long v. 3M Company et al., Case No. 23CV27457. Long, 71, worked as a shipyard laborer at the Dillingham yard on Swan Island from 1972 to 1985 as a member of Laborers Union Local 296, assisting machinists in engine rooms where he handled John Crane asbestos gaskets and packing materials.

The jury apportioned 30% of fault to John Crane among multiple defendants and awarded $33 million in non-economic damages. Long was diagnosed with biphasic pleural mesothelioma in 2023. The September verdict followed a June 2025 mistrial after four days of jury deliberation. Mark Linder and Lenny Sandoval of Dean Omar Branham Shirley LLP, along with Devin Robinson of Devin Robinson P.C., represented the plaintiff. The full case summary documents the trial evidence and the pattern of Oregon verdicts against John Crane.

The J&J Talc Verdict

In June 2024, a Multnomah County jury returned a $260 million verdict in Lee v. Johnson & Johnson, Case No. 23CV400369. Kyung H. Lee, a 49-year-old mother of three from Beaverton, was diagnosed with mesothelioma in August 2023. The complaint alleged she had used Johnson & Johnson Baby Powder from birth in 1974 through her 30s, and that the company knew its talc-based products contained asbestos.

The jury split the award as $60 million in compensatory damages and $200 million in punitive damages, assigning 99.9% of fault to Johnson & Johnson. Post-trial motions are ongoing, and reporting on the verdict’s final status has not been consistent across sources. The case is part of a nationwide wave of talc-mesothelioma litigation that has moved in parallel with J&J’s attempts to route claims through bankruptcy subsidiaries such as Red River Talc LLC.

The Hoff Joint Compound Verdict

In 2016, a Multnomah County jury awarded $8.75 million to David P. Hoff, a 65-year-old carpenter from Beaverton, and his wife Patricia. Hoff was exposed to asbestos in the 1970s while sanding Kaiser Gypsum joint compound on Portland-area construction sites. Kaiser Gypsum stopped producing asbestos-containing joint compound in 1975. Union Carbide and Georgia Pacific reportedly settled confidentially during trial. The verdict included $750,000 for medical expenses, $4 million for David Hoff’s pain and suffering, and $4 million for his wife’s loss of consortium.

The Sprague John Crane Verdict

In 2017, a Multnomah County jury awarded $5 million in Sprague v. John Crane Inc., Case No. 15CV14771. Robert Sprague’s exposure history included work as a pipefitter and maintenance work at a mill servicing dry kilns and boilers. The jury returned $1.93 million in non-economic damages, $813,853 in economic damages, and $3 million in punitive damages, finding that John Crane had “showed a reckless and outrageous indifference to a highly unreasonable risk of harm.” The punitive award was upheld after the defendant’s post-trial challenge.

Multi-Defendant Structure

Oregon mesothelioma cases are typically multi-defendant. A shipyard worker might name the manufacturers of gaskets, packing, pipe insulation, pump equipment, valve components, and boiler systems in a single complaint. A carpenter might name producers of joint compound, wallboard, pipe covering, and floor tiles. Recovery from any one defendant depends on that defendant’s share of the total fault assigned by the jury, with the remainder typically available through trust fund claims against bankrupt manufacturers.

Filing Deadlines

Oregon’s asbestos-specific statute, ORS § 30.907, sets a two-year window for personal injury claims. The clock starts from the earliest date that a person knew or reasonably should have known that their illness was caused by a specific defendant or by asbestos inhalation. The general two-year products-liability period in ORS § 30.905 also runs for two years but is not the operative statute for asbestos: ORS § 30.907 and § 30.908 carve asbestos out of § 30.905 entirely. Wrongful death claims under ORS § 30.020 must be filed within three years of the date the injury causing death was discovered or reasonably should have been discovered. Washington’s asbestos-specific statute gives plaintiffs more time at three years, while Oregon matches Pennsylvania’s two-year limit. Only Tennessee’s one-year deadline is shorter. The complexity of tracing decades-old exposure across multiple employers and products means investigation should begin as early as possible after diagnosis.