Oil refinery employee who worked in Iran is diagnosed with mesothelioma. $25M. Los Angeles County.

Summary

Plaintiffs say safety precautions with asbestos were not followed in Iran.

Case Name: Sabetian v. Fluor Enterprises, Inc., et al.
Court and Case Number: Los Angeles Superior Court / BCC 699945
Date of Verdict or Judgment: Thursday, March 14, 2019
Type of Case: Asbestos
Judge or Arbitrator(s): Hon. Rupert Byrdsong
Plaintiffs:
Houshang Sabetian, 85.
Soraya Sabetian, 74.
Defendants:
Fluor Enterprises Inc.
Middle East Fluor
Brand Insulations, Inc.
Parsons Government Services Inc
Fluor Corporation
Fluor International
Type of Result: Jury Verdict

Gross Verdict or Award: $25,000,000
Contributory/Comparative Negligence: Fluor Enterprises inc: 60%; Middle East Fluor: 20%; National Iranian Oil Company (non-defendant): 20%.
Non-Economic Damages:
Past for Houshang: $6,000,000

Past for Soraya: $3,000,000

Future for Houshang: $8,000,000

Future for Soraya: $8,000,000

Attorney for the Plaintiff:
Weitz & Luxenberg, P.C. by Benno Ashrafi and Leonard Sandoval, Los Angeles.
Attorney for the Defendant:
Berkes Crane Robinson & Seal by Robert Berkes and Carmen Santana, Los Angeles. (For all the Fluor entities.)

Hugo Parker by James Parker and Thomas Remillard. (For Brand Insulations.)

Foley & Mansfield by Douglas Wah and Beth Hopwood. (For Parsons Governmental Services.)

Plaintiff’s Medical Expert(s):
Barry Horn, M.D., pulmonology, Oakland.

David Zhang, M.D., New York, NY.

Kenneth Garza, Dalllas, TX.
Defendant's Medical Expert(s):
Richard Attanoos, M.D., Wales, UK.

Dominik Alexander, Ph.D., epidemiology, MI.

Facts and Background:
Plaintiff Houshang Sabetian was employed by the National Iranian Oil Company between approximately 1960 and 1979. He was employed in the Organization of Methods and Systems department. In that capacity, he worked at various oil refineries and industrial sites in Iran.

Houshang Sabetian moved to Los Angeles in 1981 where he has since resided along with his wife (Soraya Sabetian) of over 50 years.

In January of 2017, Houshang Sabetian was diagnosed with testicular mesothelioma.

Various Fluor defendants designed and built oil refineries in Iran including the Tehran Refinery, the Tehran Expansion Refinery, and the Esfahan Refinery. They also designed and built various units in the Abadan Refinery.
Plaintiff's Contentions:
That defendants used asbestos products, including asbestos pipe-insulation, in Iran without taking the necessary precautions. That defendants were taking strict safety precautions in the United States that they did not employ in Iran. Further, that defendants were using asbestos insulation in Iran after its use had been banned in the United States.
Defendant's Contentions:
That: 1) Plaintiff’s cancer is not related to asbestos, it is a spontaneous cancer; 2) Even if plaintiff’s cancer is related to asbestos, defendants did not expose plaintiff to asbestos.