South Australian family man Mark Werfel was awarded well over $3 million worth of compensation from a lawsuit filed against company James Hardie. The 42-year-old filed a case against the company for when he contracted asbestos from working fences and renovating his home in the mid-2000s.

The Court’s Ruling In Favor of Werfel

Werfel will receive $3,077,187, the largest compensation recorded to have been received from an asbestos-related case. James Hardie, now known as Amaca, argued that Werfel was exposed well after the company issued warnings and there was insufficient evidence linking to Werfel’s illness and his exposure to asbestos. His lawyer, Annie Hoffman, argued that Amaca did not do enough to extend efforts to warn home renovators of the potential dangers. The South Australian Employment Tribunal charged for not being able to take minimal steps to prevent Werfel’s exposure. 

Werfel’s Diagnosis

The father of three said to have contracted asbestos after being exposed to asbestos dust while working on fences for a renovation company when he was a teenager. He renovated his home in Pooraka for almost a month, sanding and painting that may have had asbestos. 

Werfel was diagnosed in 2017 with a rare form of mesothelioma when he noticed a lump inside his right leg. He now warns every homeowner to take caution before renovating their homes. 

Mark Werfel is part of the third wave of asbestos victims in the country. 

Read the full story here.

ALSO READ: Suspected Asbestos at Shed 26 Places Workers and Schoolchildren in Danger

Visit our blog for regular posts asbestos cases across the country.