Jury Awards $7.1 Million in Artificial Stone Silicosis Trial

The litigation targeted Dal-Tile Distribution, Dal-Tile Tennessee, and Paragon Industries for their roles in supplying and marketing engineered stone slabs. Plaintiffs argued these products, containing at least 90% crystalline silica mixed with resins and metals, were inherently hazardous. Despite the defendants’ claims that the victim’s employer and other third-party suppliers were responsible, jurors rejected these affirmative defenses, assigning liability to the defendants for failing to warn of the materials' toxicity.

Economic damages were set at $2.4 million, with non-economic damages totaling $4.7 million. Although the jury found other manufacturers and suppliers 62% at fault, they held Dal-Tile and Paragon accountable for their specific contributions to the exposure. Evidence revealed that Dal-Tile did not include warning labels on its products until 2023, while Paragon waited until 2016, despite internal knowledge of safety risks. The trial also highlighted the hypocrisy of companies that have recently introduced safer, low-silica alternatives while continuing to defend the high-content products that led to the worker's fatal illness.