Nola – A ruling that will last a lifetime, bringing justice eight years after his death. The Court of Nola has ordered Nuova Sacelit Srl and Italcementi SpA to pay over one million euros to the family of SM, the electrician who died of pleural mesothelioma after working for nearly twenty years at the Volla plant, exposed to asbestos without any protection.
A legal victory, born out of a family tragedy. SM worked at the Sacelit plant from 1974 to 1992, operating in highly dusty departments and dedicating himself to plant maintenance.
For two decades, he inhaled the deadly fibers of asbestos every day, without the companies providing adequate safety measures. In 2016, the cruel verdict: pleural mesothelioma, an aggressive and incurable cancer directly linked to asbestos exposure. Despite treatment, SM died on July 30, 2017, leaving behind his wife and three children.
The Nola Court's ruling is not limited to financial compensation, however substantial. It is a precise legal indictment: the companies were held liable for violating workplace safety obligations. The court found a "failure to protect the health" of the worker, establishing an unequivocal causal link between prolonged exposure to asbestos dust and the fatal disease.
Particularly significant is the recognition of Italcementi's joint liability, as the parent company which, in the court's opinion, had "interference in the safety management" of the Volla plant.
It might interest you
Naples: Prototype Explosion on Ring Road: Six on Trial
San Pietro a Patierno's stadium reopens to the public, with 500 spectators allowed.
Scandone Swimming Pool: Work begins with the green light from the Municipality, which has allocated €600.
The Herculaneum Suburban Baths will reopen for three Saturdays.
"This ruling represents an act of justice that comes after years of pain and waiting," said Ezio Bonanni, president of the National Asbestos Observatory (ONA) and the family's lawyer, commenting on the decision.
"This acknowledges," Bonanni emphasizes, "not only the responsibility of those who exposed workers to a dangerous carcinogen, but also the profound suffering of an entire family forced to live with loss and injustice. Every decision like this restores dignity to the victims."
SM's history had already been officially recognized by INAIL, which confirmed the occupational origin of mesothelioma, and his name is entered in the Regional Mesothelioma Registry of Campania, a tragic map of a silent epidemic.
"Behind every sentence," Bonanni concludes, "there are faces, families, shattered lives, but also the hope that similar tragedies will never happen again. We will continue to fight throughout Italy for the protection of victims and their rights." A warning that workplace safety is no longer optional, and a deserved compensation for a family that has been stripped of everything.
Comments (1)
The Nola Court's ruling is an important step toward justice, although it's sad that it took eight years. SM has suffered greatly, and the companies must take responsibility for their negligence.