Colorado Firm May Be Liable for Employee’s Asbestos-Related Fraud

Last week the Colorado Attorney General announced that Michael Merit, a 46-year-old man who falsely claimed to be an asbestos inspector, had been sentenced to prison after pleading guilty to contributing to the release of asbestos into the air by misleading state officials and forging lab results. As a result of Mr. Merit’s employment and falsified inspections, his employer, a Colorado construction and demolition company, succeeded in securing a permit from the state Department of Health for the demolition of a asbestos-filled mobile home park in Elizabeth, Colorado.

For the citizens of Elizabeth, Colorado, who may have been exposed to asbestos as a result of Mr. Merit’s conduct, the issue on their minds is not merely whether Mr. Merit is liable for their injuries, but whether the construction company who employed him, benefited from his false assertions and, perhaps, overlooked his non-existent credentials, is vicariously responsible under the legal doctrine known as respondeat superior. If so, the firm may be liable for its employee’s asbestos-related fraud!

Asbestos-related claims are complicated; it’s important to speak with a qualified attorney in order to understand your legal rights. If you’ve worked for a construction company that engaged in demolition work or if you have lived near a demolished site, you may have been exposed to aerosolized asbestos, just like the victims in Elizabeth, Colorado.

To find out more about your risk to asbestos and the consequences of asbestos poisoning, contact the asbestos experts at Fears | Nachawati. We can answer your questions. Contact us today by calling 1.866.705.7584 or sending an email to info@fnlawfirm.com.