From Dust to Verdict Announces Season 2, Episode 3: "$100 Million in Verdicts Against Caesarstone in One Week"

James Nevin and Liliana Carbone of Brayton Purcell LLP examine two major jury verdicts, the evidence presented at trial, and the human cost of artificial stone silicosis

NOVATO, Calif., Nov. 9, 2026 — James Nevin, a partner and trial attorney at Brayton Purcell LLP and host of From Dust to Verdict, is joined by trial attorney Liliana Carbone for Season 2, Episode 3; "$100 Million in Verdicts Against Caesarstone in One Week."

The episode examines their two jury verdicts returned less than one week apart against Caesarstone entities: a $33 million verdict in Van Nuys, CA and a verdict of nearly $68 million in Long Beach, CA. Together, the verdicts exceeded $100 million.

Nevin and Carbone take listeners inside their two trials, discussing the evidence presented to the juries, the defenses advanced by Caesarstone, the conditions in artificial stone fabrication shops, product warnings, alternative materials, and the medical and scientific evidence surrounding artificial stone silicosis.

"These verdicts represent justice for two workers and their families, but they also send an unmistakable message to the artificial stone industry," said Nevin. "Justice comes one family at a time, trial by trial and case by case. When two juries hear the evidence and return more than $100 million in verdicts within one week, manufacturers can no longer ignore the human cost of selling crystalline silica artificial stone."

Two Verdicts in Less Than One Week

The first verdict, returned in Van Nuys on October 21, 2026, assessed $33 million to a countertop fabrication worker suffering from end-stage artificial stone silicosis and his wife. The verdict included $25 million in noneconomic damages and $8 million for loss of consortium. The jury assigned a combined 22 percent of the fault to Caesarstone USA and Caesarstone Ltd.

Less than one week later, a Long Beach jury returned a verdict of nearly $68 million in another artificial stone silicosis case. The jury assigned 69 percent of the responsibility to Caesarstone.

In both cases, the juries found Caesarstone entities liable under a risk-benefit product-design analysis. The episode examines whether the risks of crystalline silica artificial stone outweigh the product's benefits, particularly when lower-silica and recycled-glass alternatives are available.

The Workers and Families Behind the Verdicts

The episode places the experiences of the affected workers and their families at the center of the discussion.

One worker developed end-stage artificial stone silicosis after approximately 13 years in the stone fabrication trade. The other worked as a fabricator for approximately seven years, received a lung transplant, and is facing the need for a second transplant after the first transplanted lungs lasted only about three years.

Artificial stone silicosis is a preventable, progressive, incurable, and fatal occupational disease. It causes severe lung damage, shortens life expectancy, and leaves workers dependent on lung transplantation to extend life. The disease affects not only workers, but devastates their spouses, children, and entire families.

"These cases are not lotteries. They are debts owed to workers and families whose lives have been devastated," said Carbone. "The evidence showed that responsibility cannot simply be shifted entirely onto fabrication employers. Manufacturers and distributors must confront what their products have done and stop forcing gravely ill workers through lengthy trials to obtain justice."

Examining the Evidence and Industry Defenses

Nevin and Carbone discuss Caesarstone's efforts at trial to place responsibility on fabrication shop employers and workplace conditions. Both juries rejected the position that employers were solely responsible for the workers' injuries.

The attorneys describe evidence concerning Caesarstone representatives' visits to fabrication facilities, company certification programs, product deliveries, fabrication guides, warning materials, and the conditions company representatives observed inside the shops.

The episode also examines the medical literature surrounding artificial stone silicosis, including research dating to 2012 and the May 2026 global consensus statement from the American Thoracic Society.

Nevin and Carbone discuss how the medical and scientific evidence identifies artificial stone silicosis as a distinct and aggressive occupational disease linked to the fabrication of crystalline silica artificial stone.

Verdicts That Could Accelerate Industry Change

The episode concludes by considering whether jury verdicts of this size will push artificial stone manufacturers and distributors to stop selling high-crystalline-silica artificial stone slabs and transition to safer alternatives, including recycled-glass materials.

Carbone expresses the hope that manufacturers will recognize the financial and moral consequences of continuing to distribute products linked to artificial stone silicosis and will invest exclusively in materials that are safer for workers to fabricate.

Nevin adds that the litigation is helping drive broader industry change by accelerating the transition to nontoxic recycled-glass products that can serve the same purpose without exposing fabrication workers to the same dangers.

Season 2, Episode 3 asks a central question: What happens when jury verdicts force an industry to confront the human cost of its products?

More than $100 million in verdicts. Two juries. Two families. One growing fight for accountability in the artificial stone industry.

About From Dust to Verdict

From Dust to Verdict is hosted by James Nevin, a partner at Brayton Purcell LLP. The podcast examines the epidemic of accelerated artificial stone silicosis among countertop fabrication workers, along with the related medical research, litigation, legislation, and regulatory developments.

Brayton Purcell LLP is the only lawfirm in the nation that has brought artificial stone silicosis cases to trial, twelve so far, seeking justice for workers and their families, one worker at a time.

Listeners are encouraged to subscribe to From Dust to Verdict, share the episode and follow the continuing discussion about artificial stone silicosis and accountability within the artificial stone industry.

Media Contact

Nolan Lowry
Chief Marketing Officer
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415-399-3107
Brayton Purcell LLP

SOURCE Brayton Purcell LLP