CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) — A Cook County jury awarded 70-year-old Sue Kamuda $363 million Monday in her lawsuit against the operators of a suburban Sterigenics medical device sterilization plant.
It is the highest jury verdict on record for an individual plaintiff in Illinois, Kamuda’s lawyers said.
Kamuda and her lawyers argued that toxic emissions from the Sterigenics plant near her home in Willowbrook caused her aggressive breast cancer, of which she is now in remission after surgery and multiple rounds of chemotherapy and radiation.
The jury agreed.
At her lawyer’s office Monday afternoon, Kamuda described how she felt as she heard the jury read a guilty verdict.
“Oh, that was the best three words I’ve ever heard, honestly, it was such a relief. What came after that didn’t really matter, it was just hearing that … I couldn’t imagine watching [the Sterigenics team] get excited if they had been found not guilty.”
The roughly month-long Sterigenics trial focused solely on Kamuda’s experience.
“We were all handicapped not being able to talk about my son, [who] was diagnosed with cancer last August — with lymphoma — we couldn’t talk about that,” Kamuda said.
Her son Brian Kamuda is among more than 750 individuals with similar lawsuits pending that will, again, bring the operators to court.
Kamuda had some advice for any individuals who were considering taking on similar crusades.
“Corporations aren’t your friend, and find a good support team to help you because you’re gonna need it,” Kamuda said. “And find good attorneys, like I did.”
The Sterigenics plant closed permanently in 2019 after a study by the Environmental Protection Agency stirred community outcry over its finding that the high risk of cancer in Willowbrook was likely due to ethylene oxide emitted from the plant.
“We do not believe the jury verdict in this matter reflects the evidence presented in court. Sterigenics is evaluating the verdict and plans to challenge this decision through all appropriate process, including appeals," Sterigenics wrote in a statement to WBBM.
"We will continue to vigorously defend against allegations about our ethylene oxide operations and emissions. We remain committed to our mission of Safeguarding Global Health. As we have consistently done throughout our history, we will continue to operate in compliance with applicable rules and regulations to ensure the safety of our employees, the communities in which we operate and patients around the world.”
Parent and partner companies ceased all operations in Illinois, but not in other parts of the country.
Related
Related
Listen to WBBM Newsradio now on Audacy!