Mississippi Jury Denies Silica Lung Disease Claim Seeking $4.5 Million

A Claiborne County jury has ruled that three companies do not owe a Mississippi man anything for his claims he suffered from silicosis after using their products.

Lawyers for 73-year-old Eugene Westrope of Hazlehurst asked jurors for $4.5 million in damages, saying he had contracted the lung disease after using cleaning products containing asbestos supplied by the companies between 1964 through 1995.

The jury found this past week that Clemco Industries Corp., Precision Packaging and Lone Star Industries Inc. owed nothing to Westrope, who originally sued 18 companies. He has settled claims with 15 of those companies before trial.

Washington, Mo.-based Clemco Industries Corp. is a manufacturer of air-powered blast cleaning equipment, and Little Rock, Ark.-based Precision Packaging, is a packaging services company. The Lone Star Industries Inc. was a supplier of blasting sand.