The jury found Dal-Tile Distribution and Dal-Tile liable for negligence and defective product design, rejecting company arguments that placed sole blame on the decedent’s employers. Evidence presented at trial showed that while the victim’s employer held 70% of the fault, the manufacturer remained responsible for failing to warn workers about the dangers of high-silica slabs. Martinez Paredes himself was assigned zero percent fault for his condition.
Jury Awards $47 Million in Landmark Artificial Stone Silicosis Trial
A Santa Monica jury has ordered Dal-Tile to pay $47 million to the family of Wilmer Ruben Martinez Paredes, a 41-year-old countertop fabricator who died from silicosis and autoimmune diseases linked to engineered stone. The verdict marks the third win for plaintiffs in four U.S. trials over the material's toxicity.
Legal counsel for the family, James Nevin and Liliana Carbone of Brayton Purcell LLP, highlighted that Dal-Tile began distributing the high-silica product in 2006 but did not introduce warning labels until 2023. The damages include $45 million for non-economic losses and $2 million in economic compensation. This case arrives as regulators, including Cal-OSHA, move toward emergency bans on artificial stone containing more than 1% crystalline silica, citing an epidemic of fatal respiratory illnesses among young laborers.
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