ETERNIT CONDEMNED

 

The judge of the 18a. Vara Cível of  São Paulo Jurisdiction:   judges partially in favor of the complainant, the Public Ministry of the State of São Paulo, against the defendant, Eternit, S.A.  

 

The judge has made five(5) basic decisions:

1) for damages for exposing its workers to asbestos.  The people damaged by asbestos are to receive a lifetime pension depending on the level of damage to their income ("danos patromoniais"), ranging from Class I (0.5 minimum salaries) to Class V (4.0 minimum salaries).

The current minimum salary is about US$ 164 per month.

2)  "moral damages" of from 50-300 minimum salaries;

Items 3-5) guarantee how the payments are to be made and during what  period and describe what kind of guarantee of medical care the people exposed to asbestos will receive under the judgement. The date to be considered regarding the payments are those when the victim learned about its illness.

 

(Translated graciously by Dan Berman)