Jury Awards $20.6M to Missouri Woman Exposed to Carcinogen

A southwest Missouri woman has been awarded $20.6 million in damages after federal jurors found that a company exposed her to a toxic chemical that left her with permanent disabilities.

The Joplin Globe reports that a jury hearing Jodelle Kirk’s case announced $13 million in punitive damages and $7.6 million in actual damages. At issue is the conduct of FAG Bearings, which is a subsidiary of Schaeffler Group North America.

Kirk’s attorney told jurors the company dumped trichlorethylene, also known as TCE, on its property and that the known carcinogen seeped into the ground, nearby creeks and private wells.

The Silver Creek woman was diagnosed with autoimmune hepatitis in 2002 when she was 14. FAG previously has blamed two other companies for the contamination.