Simmons Hanly Conroy, one of the nation’s largest mesothelioma law firms, has secured a $24.4 million verdict against Avon Products, Inc. on behalf of the family of Cipriano Ramirez, a Chicago area resident diagnosed with mesothelioma, a rare and fatal cancer caused by asbestos-contaminated talcum powder exposure.
Mr. Ramirez was exposed to asbestos in the 1980s while working at Avon’s facility in Morton Grove, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago, where the company processed asbestos-contaminated talc and manufactured products containing asbestos-contaminated talc. Ramirez worked as a janitor at the facility in the early 1980s.
The jury found Avon at fault and awarded $24.4 million to Ramirez and his family, including his wife, Maria.
“After carefully reviewing the facts of the case, the jury rejected Avon’s reprehensible attempts to impugn the dignity and integrity of Cipriano Ramirez and found that Avon was responsible for his cancer diagnosis,” said firm Partner Jennifer Alesio, who served as lead trial attorney with Partner James Kramer. “No amount can give Mr. Ramirez his health back, but we are so proud of how hard this jury worked to hold Avon accountable on his family’s behalf.”
In addition to Alesio and Kramer, Simmons Hanly Conroy Partners Taylor Kerns, Philip Proud and Cody Favilla represented the Ramirez family in the Circuit Court of Cook County before the Hon. Scott McKenna.
Ramirez was diagnosed with pleural mesothelioma in 2023. Pleural mesothelioma is caused by inhaling asbestos fibers that become lodged in the protective lining of the lungs.
“Mr. Ramirez dedicated his life to working hard for his family,” said Kramer. “He should be enjoying retirement but has been forced to spend his time fighting a cancer that could have been prevented.”
The verdict is the 14th mesothelioma verdict Simmons Hanly Conroy has won on behalf of mesothelioma patients in the past seven years. The trial lasted more than a month.
The case is Cipriano Ramirez and Maria Ramirez v. Avon Products, Inc., et al., case no. 2023L004386 in the Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois.
