$80M settlement reached in Jackson County asbestos case

A class-action suit brought by two former Jackson County employees exposed to asbestos during renovation of the Jackson County Courthouse three decades ago has resulted in an $80 million settlement.

Jackson County and Kansas City-based U.S. Engineering, the firm responsible for asbestos removal during the renovation, agreed to settle rather than head to trial starting this week. County tax dollars will not fund the settlement.

The sum includes $25 million in attorney’s fees and costs to litigate the case, with the remainder going to a medical monitoring fund. The fund thought to be the largest ever established in a Missouri asbestos case will cover diagnostic tests for those exposed during the next 30 years.

Read more from The Kansas City Star.