Wisconsin Mesothelioma Verdicts and Settlements

Wisconsin ranks 7th nationally in mesothelioma death rate at 11.4 per million (1999-2020), well above the national average. The state’s concentration of paper mills, manufacturing plants, and shipyards created exposure pathways that reach across dozens of asbestos product manufacturers, making multi-defendant cases the norm.

Two recent rulings out of Milwaukee County have reshaped how Wisconsin courts treat premises liability and take-home exposure in asbestos cases.

Pabst Brewing: A Landmark Safe-Place Ruling

In April 2026, the Wisconsin Supreme Court issued its opinion in Estate of Lorbiecki v. Pabst Brewing Co., 2026 WI 12 (Milwaukee County Circuit Court Case No. 2018CV004971). The court affirmed liability under Wisconsin’s safe-place statute for the mesothelioma death of Gerald Lorbiecki, a steamfitter who worked as an independent contractor at the company’s Milwaukee brewery in the 1970s.

Lorbiecki was diagnosed with mesothelioma in 2017. Trial evidence showed Pabst knew of “many miles” of asbestos-insulated pipes at the brewery and had received a 1986 OSHA citation for crumbling asbestos in an employee lunchroom. The jury found airborne asbestos disturbed during pipe work qualified as an “unsafe condition” under Wis. Stat. 101.11, and attributed fault across Pabst and several non-party manufacturers, including Sprinkmann and WEPCO.

The 2021 jury awarded $6,545,163.55 in compensatory damages and $20 million in punitive damages, for a combined $26.5 million. The trial court then reduced the award to approximately $7 million after applying damage caps and liability apportionment. The Wisconsin Supreme Court upheld the reduced amount, rejecting Pabst’s arguments that it could not be liable for the acts of an independent contractor and that the evidence did not support punitive exposure.

The decision clarifies that Wisconsin’s safe-place statute extends to contractors’ employees working on owner-controlled premises and that airborne asbestos is actionable as an unsafe condition. The approximately $7 million final award reflects the reduced, affirmed outcome.

Take-Home Exposure: The Krentz Verdict

A Milwaukee County jury awarded $9.7 million to the family of Sarah Krentz on May 25, 2023, in Case No. 2017-CV007030. Krentz was diagnosed with peritoneal mesothelioma in 2014 and died in 2019 at age 39, leaving a husband and a 12-year-old son. She was never occupationally exposed to asbestos. The exposure traced to her stepfather, a sheet-metal mechanic, whose work clothes carried asbestos fibers home from Milwaukee-area job sites.

The jury found 9 of 11 defendants liable. Motor Casting Co. was assigned 50% of the fault. The verdict included $6.7 million to Krentz’s estate and $3 million to her son, Korey. Motor Casting’s appeal was dismissed in 2024 after a voluntary withdrawal, leaving the verdict in place. The case was led by Sophie Zavaglia of SWMW Law.

The ruling reinforces that Wisconsin courts will hold companies accountable when family members develop mesothelioma from fibers carried home on a worker’s clothing, decades after the original exposure.

Other Wisconsin Case Patterns

Paper Mill Cases

Wisconsin’s paper mill cases remain among the most active in the country because of the sheer number of asbestos products used in a single facility. A paper mill worker who spent 30 years at a Fox River Valley operation might have been exposed to asbestos from pipe insulation, paper machine felt, dryer roll lagging, gaskets, brake pads, and fireproofing, each made by a different manufacturer.

This multi-product, multi-defendant profile means a single case can name 10 to 20 companies, many of which have established asbestos trust funds. Combined trust fund recoveries plus lawsuit settlements can produce total compensation well above the median.

Manufacturing and Industrial Cases

Milwaukee’s manufacturing base created a separate line of cases involving automotive parts, heavy machinery, and foundry operations. Workers at A.O. Smith, Allis-Chalmers, and other major employers were exposed to asbestos insulation and components throughout their careers. These companies appear across Midwest industrial asbestos litigation, though no confirmed Wisconsin-specific verdict has been documented against either firm. Many of the asbestos product manufacturers named in Wisconsin industrial cases also appear in Ohio steel mill litigation and Michigan auto plant cases, reflecting the shared supplier network across Midwest manufacturing.

Shipyard Cases

Great Lakes shipyard workers, particularly those at Manitowoc and Sturgeon Bay, faced concentrated asbestos exposure. Shipbuilding cases have historically produced above-average settlements because of the intensity and duration of exposure in enclosed below-deck environments. Shipyard exposure claims follow patterns similar to those seen in Michigan’s Great Lakes yards and at the Brooklyn Navy Yard in New York, where the same asbestos insulation products were used.

Filing Deadlines

Wisconsin has a three-year statute of limitations for personal injury mesothelioma claims under Wis. Stat. § 893.54, starting from the date of diagnosis. The complexity of tracing decades-old exposure means investigation should begin as early as possible after diagnosis.