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Landmark Italian Asbestos Trial Sentences The “Swiss Bill Gates” To 16 Years In Prison

February 21st, 2012 Category: News Articles

The Missouri mesothelioma lawyers at The O’Brien Law Firm want our clients to know about a significant European court case that concluded last week.

The conclusion of an investigation and trial in Turin, Italy that has lasted seven years resulted in a landmark decision on February 13. Two men, Swiss billionaire Stephan Schmidheiny and Belgian baron Jean-Louis Marie Ghislain de Cartier, were each sentenced to 16 years in prison.

The court trial concerned thousands of asbestos related deaths arising from four Italian asbestos cement factories owned and operated by Eternit AG, a Swiss industrial corporation.  Italian prosecutors blamed Eternit for the deaths of over 2,000 people from mesothelioma, lung cancer and other asbestos diseases.

Stephan Schmidheiny, 64 years old, is the former owner of Eternit AG and a fourth generation member of perhaps the most important industrial dynasty in Switzerland. In 2009, Forbes Magazine dubbed him the “Swiss Bill Gates” and estimated his wealth at $2.9 billion dollars.  He is now retired and lives in Costa Rica.

Ghislain de Cartier, 90 years old, was the company’s largest shareholder and headed several of the companies’ divisions.

In addition to the jail sentences, the defendants were also reportedly ordered to pay over the equivalent of $158 million dollars in financial compensation. A separate civil proceeding brought by asbestos disease victims and their families will likely raise the financial amounts owed considerably.

Both men were tried in absentia (they refused to appear for the trial) and have announced they will appeal the decision. Mr. Schmidheiny monitored the trial from afar and reportedly made a $29 million dollar settlement offer the week before the verdict was rendered.  Italian authorities rejected the offer.

Eternit AG was a pioneer in the area of asbestos cement products. Eternit AG’s  website states that although the decision to go asbestos free in its production line was made in 1978, it did not cease using asbestos in its products until 1994, decades after the deadly properties of asbestos were well known throughout the international industrial community.

The mesothelioma lawyers at the O’Brien Law Firm are currently fighting the efforts of another asbestos cement company, the CertainTeed Corporation, to dodge legal liability for injuring asbestos workers and polluting our local community. We will continue to keep you advised of both of these important stories.