SEATTLE — A King County jury has awarded $20.9 million to Scot McLeod, a former abatement worker who developed mesothelioma after being exposed to asbestos at industrial worksites across the Pacific Northwest beginning in 1989. Mr. McLeod is represented by attorneys Kaitlin Cherf, Colin Mieling and Craig Sims of Schroeter Goldmark & Bender (SGB).

The jury verdict follows a three-week trial against Simpson Tacoma Kraft Company, LLC (STK), the former owner of a pulp mill associated with the “aroma of Tacoma,” where evidence showed Mr. McLeod was repeatedly exposed to asbestos. Attorneys for Mr. McLeod demonstrated that he was not exposed to asbestos while wearing personal protective equipment and performing abatement at any specific site, but instead when present at contaminated industrial facilities including the STK mill which contained deteriorated, damaged and friable asbestos-containing materials and elevated ambient airborne concentrations of asbestos.

“Mr. McLeod did the work he was trained to do – carefully and responsibly,” said SGB attorney Kaitlin Cherf. “What he could not control were the dangerous conditions surrounding him. This verdict reflects the jury’s recognition that companies have a duty to maintain safe worksites and protect workers from known hazards.”

Mr. McLeod was diagnosed with mesothelioma in 2024 at the age of 55 – an age at which mesothelioma is exceedingly rare. He is married to his wife, Jessica, and together they have five adult children and several grandchildren.

The case holds Simpson Tacoma Kraft Company liable for failing to maintain safe premises and protect workers from hazardous asbestos exposure. The jury’s award accounts for the significant physical, emotional, and economic harm caused by Mr. McLeod’s mesothelioma diagnosis.

SGB’s Colin Mieling and Kaitlin Cherf led the case, supported by SGB attorneys Craig Sims, Luke Garrett and Kyle Wood, and the firm’s skilled legal staff.

For more than 50 years, Schroeter Goldmark & Bender has represented individuals and families harmed by exposure to asbestos. To learn more about SGB’s asbestos practice, visit sgb-law.com/practice-areas/asbestos-and-mesothelioma.