Calif. Jury Awards $47 Million in Silicosis Case

SANTA MONICA, Calif. – A Los Angeles County jury found multiple parties – including several engineered-stone manufacturers – responsible for the death of a fabrication worker due to silicosis and silicosis-related illnesses.

While the jury awarded survivors of Wllmer Ruben Martinez Paredes $47 million in damages on Aug. 3, however, the only remaining manufacturer in the lawsuit – Dal-Tile – is liable for 6%.

The verdict came after more than two months of trial sessions in the case brought by Evelin Liseth Gonzales Rodriguez, Paredes’ widow, in late 2023.

The jury found Dal-Tile LLC and subsidiary Dal-Tile Distribution responsible for claims involving areas of negligence and product liability, along with other claims involving Paredes’ former employers, Art in Art Marble/Granite and Precious Stone Inc. in North Hollywood, Calif.

But, the jury didn’t find “clear and convincing evidence” that the Dal-Tile companies “engaged in conduct with malice or oppression that was committed, or authorized, or approved by an officer, director, or managing agent.”

The $47 million in damages include $322,000 for medical care, $88,000 of income loss, and $20 million in pain-and-suffering damages before death. The award also includes $1,625,380 in economic damages to Paredes’ family, and $25 million distributed among family members for non-economic damages.

The jury found Art in Art Marble/Granite and Precious Stone each 35% responsible in the case. Both businesses have since closed after Paredes’ employment.

The jury assessed the two Dal-Tile companies 3% each for responsibility in the case. Jurors found Parades himself 0% responsible.

The jurors also assigned responsibility of 6% each on Architectural Surfaces Group LLC/Pental Quartz, Caesarstone, Cambria, and Cosentino. A statement from Brayton Purcell LLC, the law firm representing Paredes’ survivors, noted that claims with those four companies were resolved before the verdict.