Naples, mesothelioma after years of service: €468 awarded to the family of a Marshal

Naples – More than ten years after his diagnosis and eleven years after his death, a ruling has arrived that will set an important precedent in cases of asbestos exposure in the Armed Forces. The Court of Naples has ordered the Ministry of Defense to pay over €468, plus revaluation and interest, to the family of an Italian Air Force marshal who died of pleural mesothelioma in 2015.

The soldier, originally from Naples, had served for almost forty years as an engine engineer and maintenance technician at various Italian bases, including Capodichino, Pratica di Mare, Grosseto, Gioia del Colle, and Grazzanise.

According to the judges' findings, it was precisely the work carried out in contact with aircraft and components containing asbestos that led to exposure to the harmful fibres, which caused the illness diagnosed in 2013.

In its ruling, published on July 28, the Court also emphasized the long journey of suffering experienced by the family, which began well before their loved one's death, including treatment, hospitalization, and the progressive deterioration of his health.

The Ministry of Defense's objection of statute of limitations was also rejected. The judges deemed the legal action timely, establishing that the deadline for filing the lawsuit begins when the family members became fully aware of the causal link between the illness and exposure to asbestos, a fact later confirmed by the recognition of the status of "victim of duty."

The National Asbestos Observatory expressed satisfaction. "This ruling confirms that many state employees did not die in battle, but because of an invisible enemy present in their workplaces," stated Ezio Bonanni, the family's lawyer. Nicola Panei, an Air Force marshal and asbestos victim, echoed the sentiment, saying the decision represents "a sign of hope for the many service members still awaiting justice."