Legal Mesothelioma

Harold Hopkins had major roles in several Australian TV series and movies, including Don’s Party (1976) with Graham Kennedy.

ACTOR Harold Hopkins has died in a Sydney hospital from the asbestos-related cancer mesothelioma.

Hopkins, who had major roles in several classic Australian movies including Gallipoli, Don’s Party and The Club, died at Neringah Private Hospital in Wahroonga early yesterday, at the age of 67.

His family said he had contracted the cancer from his first job after high school, when he worked with asbestos sheeting as an apprentice carpenter in south-east Queensland in the early 1960s.

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Hopkins’ brother-in-law, Rowland Hill, said he had auditioned for a role in Baz Luhrmann’s upcoming film The Great Gatsby in May, just days after he had been diagnosed with the cancer.

It was Hopkins’ chance to strut his skills in the role of Henry C. Gatz – Gatsby’s estranged father – in a 1920s suit and fedora.

”It [the audition] was just a great opportunity to take part in the industry that he had spent a lifetime in,” Mr Hill said.

Described by his family as a charmer and a larrikin with an exuberance for life, Hopkins was born on March 6, 1944, in Toowoomba in southern Queensland.

In the early 1960s, he took on a carpentry apprenticeship, working without protective masks or clothing and unwittingly allowing asbestos fibres to penetrate his lungs and chest, his family said.

But before the first signs of the cancer appeared this year, Hopkins’ life was filled with acting roles.

He followed his twin brother John to the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) and graduated in 1967.

He appeared at the Sydney Opera House in the Doll trilogy plays by Ray Lawler and he was able to channel his inner larrikin to great effect, Mr Hill said.

During his career he appeared in 16 movies, including Age of Consent, Gallipoli, Don’s Party, The Club and The Year My Voice Broke.

Hopkins also appeared in more than 160 episodes of television series such as Barrier Reef, Homicide, The Godfathers, Twenty Good Years, Sarah Dane, a Nice Little Earner and Underbelly.

”I think he loved everything about it,” Mr Hill said.”He had a very healthy ego that kept him going back to it … but he was not arrogant.

”He was very much a man who followed his own passions and interests.”

In the 1970s Hopkins bought a block of land at Webbs Creek, off the Hawkesbury River, where he could indulge his love for nature and animals. ”It was where he belonged and where he was happiest,” his twin brother John said in a statement. ”He became the guardian of his Webbs Creek block, and pulled all his friends into his magic when they visited him there.”

Later in his career, Hopkins worked with young actors including Joel Edgerton, Kieran Darcy-Smith and Damien Walshe-Howling, who visited him before he died.

Hopkins died surrounded by his family. He is survived by his twin brother, John, and his five siblings, Naomi, Michael, Gregory, Margaret and Suzanne. AAP

Larrikin actor shone in classic Australian films

Last month, an engineering firm agreed to settle an asbestos lawsuit, with the agreement marking the largest asbestos settlement thus far in the state of Missouri. however, as was pointed out by the plaintiff’s attorney, no amount of money could ever make up for the loss of the plaintiff, who succumbed to mesothelioma during the course of the suit.

The plaintiff filed the asbestos lawsuit after she was diagnosed with mesothelioma. in her suit, she claimed that an engineering firm had mishandled asbestos in a county courthouse in Missouri, at which she worked for almost three decades.

Following the woman’s death from mesothelioma in October 2010, her mother continued the lawsuit on her behalf. She recently agreed to a $10 million settlement with the engineering firm. A class action lawsuit seeking medical expenses to monitor and treat other courthouse employees why may also have been exposed to asbestos is still pending. there is no word on whether the engineering firm is looking to settle that case as well.

“The only thing she did wrong was to come to work every day,” said the plaintiff’s personal injury attorney. “U.S. Engineering didn’t follow the proper rules and procedures. and there are still significant amounts of asbestos in the courthouse.”

The mesothelioma attorney’s statement underlines what is so troubling about many of these cases. the people who have been exposed to asbestos did absolutely nothing to deserve their fate of contracting this painful, fatal disease. it is only right that the companies who caused their suffering do what they can to make things right.

Source: St. Joseph News-Press, “Asbestos lawsuit settled for $10 million,” Marshall White, Nov. 18, 2011

Courthouse asbestos lawsuit ends in settlement

NEW ORLEANS, Dec 15, 2011 (BUSINESS WIRE) –Baron and Budd shareholder Bruce Steckler was part of the team that helped negotiate a landmark Chinese drywall settlement with KNAUF Plasterboard Tianjin (KPT), one of the largest manufacturers in the Chinese drywall litigation. the settlement comes as a result of 18 months of careful negotiation between the Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee (PSC), of which Steckler is a member, and KNAUF, and aims to help thousands of families suffering from defective Chinese drywall, which has been linked to corrosion of metal components and possible serious health issues. the total value of the settlement is estimated to be from $800 million to $1 billion.

the proposed settlement will enable approximately 4,500 homeowners suffering from toxic Chinese drywall supplied by KPT to receive assistance. the settlement will create two funds for potential compensation. the first fund, which is unlimited, will address the costs of removal and replacement of the KPT drywall in accordance with the previous Pilot Program or through self-remediation. the second fund, which is capped, will reimburse homeowners for certain other economic losses associated with the drywall and provide a review process for people who may have suffered health issues from the drywall.

“This settlement will offer the opportunity for thousands of homeowners to finally get the assistance they need to remove the tainted drywall from their homes and receive compensation for issues they may have suffered because of the drywall,” said Steckler, head of Baron and Budd’s general litigation section. “We’re glad that KNAUF was willing to participate in the settlement process, and we hope this sets the standard for future settlements with other manufacturers in the litigation.”

the settlement is currently pending final approval by the court. A preliminary approval hearing is set for Jan. 4.

Steckler is one of only a handful of attorneys nationwide who serves on the PSC in the Chinese drywall multi-district litigation. He also represents the WCI Trust in its Chinese drywall claims and oversees the lawsuits of nearly 1000 homeowners affected by the defective drywall.

Chinese drywall was imported into the U.S. between 2001 and 2006 after a Gulf-area housing boom resulted in a shortage of American-made building materials. the toxic drywall has been linked to serious property issues, such as corrosion of metal components and appliances, and even health issues, including headaches, bloody noses and difficulty breathing. States of particular concern include Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Texas, Nevada, California, Virginia and South Carolina.

About Baron & Budd, P.C.

the law firm of Baron & Budd, P.C., with offices in Dallas, Baton Rouge, Austin, Los Angeles and Miami, is a nationally recognized law firm with a 30-year history of “Protecting What’s Right” for people, communities and businesses harmed by negligence. Baron & Budd’s size and resources enable the firm to take on large and complex cases. the firm represents individuals, governmental and business entities in areas as diverse as water contamination, Gulf oil spill, Qui Tam, California Proposition 65 violations, dangerous medications and medical devices, Chinese drywall, insurance claims, commercial litigation, consumer fraud, securities fraud and asbestos-related illnesses such as mesothelioma. Learn more about the mesothelioma attorneys at Baron & Budd.

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SOURCE: Baron & Budd, P.C.

Baron & Budd, P.C. Susan Knape, 214-629-0596 susan@susanknape.com

Copyright Business Wire 2011

Baron and Budd Shareholder Bruce Steckler Part of Negotiation Team in $800 Million Chinese Drywall Settlement