Jury finds Caesarstone entities 69.1% responsible in seventh U.S. artificial stone silicosis trial handled by Brayton Purcell LLP
NOVATO, Calif., Oct. 28, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — A Los Angeles jury assessed a $67,716,000 verdict in favor of the family of Dennys Rene Rivas Williams, an artificial stone countertop fabricator who was diagnosed with artificial stone silicosis at age 35 and underwent a double-lung transplant at age 37. The jury found Caesarstone Ltd. and Caesarstone USA, Inc. liable under California’s strict products liability design defect risk-benefit test and assigned the two Caesarstone entities a combined 69.1% responsibility.
The October 26, 2026 verdict in Dennys Rene Rivas Williams v. Caesarstone Ltd. and Caesarstone USA, Inc., Case No. 23STCV08523, was returned following trial before Judge Michele Flurer in Department S29 in Long Beach, California. The case was the seventh artificial stone silicosis trial involving a countertop fabrication worker in the United States handled by Brayton Purcell LLP and the sixth verdict in favor of plaintiffs.
Rivas Williams worked as an artificial stone countertop fabricator at Primus Marble in Los Angeles from 2015 through 2022. He was diagnosed with artificial stone silicosis in 2022 at age 35 and underwent a double-lung transplant in 2024 at age 37. According to medical evidence presented at trial, his transplanted lungs are already failing, and he is expected to undergo another double-lung transplant in 2027 at age 40. Evidence presented at trial further projected that his second set of replacement lungs will fail at approximately age 43, after which he is expected to die from artificial stone silicosis.
Artificial stone silicosis is a preventable, progressive, incurable, and fatal disease, and there is no cure.
Jury Finds Caesarstone’s Artificial Stone Defectively Designed
The jury found Caesarstone Ltd. and Caesarstone USA, Inc. liable under the strict products liability design defect risk-benefit test. The jury rejected Caesarstone’s affirmative defense that the conditions under which its products were fabricated constituted a “highly unforeseeable” misuse of the product.
The jury assessed $7,250,000 in economic damages, with an additional stipulated amount of $466,000 to be added by the judge following the verdict, and $60,000,000 in noneconomic damages. The total verdict is $67,716,000.
The jury assigned a combined 69.1% responsibility to Caesarstone Ltd. and Caesarstone USA, Inc. It assigned 30% to Primus Marble. Other manufacturers and suppliers of stone slabs, including ASG, Arizona Tile, Paragon/Bedrosians, Dal-Tile, Color Marble, Cosentino, Francini, LX Hausys and Walker Zanger, were collectively assigned 0.9% responsibility.
The Rivas Williams verdict came just five days after a separate jury assessed a $33 million verdict on October 21, 2026, in favor of plaintiffs Jose Luis Martir Navarro and Silvia Rebeca Gudiel Garcia in another artificial stone silicosis case involving Caesarstone Ltd. and Caesarstone USA, Inc. In the two cases combined, juries assessed more than $100 million in verdicts within five days involving workers who developed artificial stone silicosis after fabricating artificial stone countertops.
Artificial Stone and the Growing Silicosis Epidemic
Artificial stone, also sometimes referred to as engineered stone or manufactured stone, is at least 90% respirable crystalline silica. The remaining approximately 10% consists of highly toxic resins and heavy metals.
During the process to fabricate the crystalline silica artificial stone slabs into kitchen and bathroom countertops, the ingredients that went into the slab at the manufacturing plant are what comes out of it inside the fabrication shop, and the workers breathe the dust containing nano-sized high-surface area crystalline silica mixed with toxic resins (which release VOCs) and metals. Artificial stone fabrication has been associated with an epidemic of artificial stone silicosis among countertop fabrication workers in California and in other areas around the world.
Large rectangular slabs of natural stone, such as granite and marble, have been used to make kitchen and bathroom countertops for decades. Before a slab can become a finished countertop, it must be cut, ground and polished, a process commonly known as fabrication, in a countertop fabrication shop.
For decades, this work was performed with natural stone, including in very dusty fabrication shops with little or no OSHA controls, without a single published peer-reviewed medical case in the world identifying silicosis in a countertop fabrication worker.
Everything changed following the introduction and widespread adoption of high-crystalline-silica artificial stone slabs into the countertop fabrication market.
Evidence Addressed the “Uniquely Toxic” Characteristics of Artificial Stone
The Rivas Williams jury was not permitted to hear that Safe Work Australia in 2024 and Cal/OSHA in 2026 determined that crystalline-silica artificial stone is “uniquely toxic” and that industrial hygiene controls such as wet methods, ventilation and respiratory protection do not eliminate exposure or fatal disease, which is why both regulatory agencies have now banned it.
The jury also was not permitted to hear evidence concerning California Department of Public Health surveillance tracking hundreds of California artificial stone countertop fabrication workers with artificial stone silicosis, part of an epidemic similar to those observed internationally following the introduction of high-crystalline-silica artificial stone into existing natural-stone countertop fabrication markets.
Despite those evidentiary limitations, the jury heard testimony from Rivas Williams’ treating physicians and plaintiffs’ scientific, medical and fabrication witnesses concerning the characteristics of artificial stone, the nano-sized, high-surface-area respirable crystalline silica dust created when it is fabricated, real-world fabrication conditions and the progression of Rivas Williams’ disease.
The jury concluded under the risk-benefit test that Caesarstone’s artificial stone was defectively designed. It also rejected the contention that the fabrication conditions at issue constituted a “highly extraordinary not reasonably foreseeable misuse” of the product.
Jury Rejects Caesarstone’s Effort to Shift Responsibility
“Refusing to accept responsibility or accountability, Caesarstone’s attorneys repeatedly told the jury that the fabrication shop was the ‘sole cause’ of Dennys Rene Rivas Williams’ fatal artificial stone silicosis,” said plaintiffs’ trial counsel and Brayton Purcell LLP partner James Nevin. “We explained that the conditions at Primus Marble did not relieve Caesarstone of responsibility for placing its defective, uniquely toxic product into the marketplace. The jury agreed, assigning 69.1% of the responsibility to the Caesarstone entities.”
“We are grateful that this jury carefully reviewed the evidence presented by both sides and delivered justice for Dennys and his young family,” said Brayton Purcell LLP trial associate Steven Patti. “He was diagnosed with artificial stone silicosis at only 35 years old and underwent a double-lung transplant at 37. His experience demonstrates the devastating progression of this preventable, incurable and fatal disease.”
History of High-Silica Artificial Stone
Caesarstone Ltd. began manufacturing its artificial stone in 1987 containing approximately 95% ultra-fine and nano-sized, high-surface-area crystalline silica mixed with highly toxic dyes, resins, glues and heavy metals. Caesarstone USA, Inc. began distributing Caesarstone products in California in 1998.
In 2012, Dr. Mordechai Kramer and other researchers in Israel published the peer-reviewed article “Artificial Stone Silicosis: Disease Resurgence Among Artificial Stone Workers” in the medical journal CHEST. The research detailed an epidemic of artificial stone silicosis among Caesarstone countertop fabrication workers.
Despite the published medical evidence concerning artificial stone silicosis, the Caesarstone entities continued manufacturing and distributing high-crystalline-silica artificial stone products in the United States and expanding their market presence.
While Caesarstone’s attorneys asserted during trial that the company provided warnings and safety brochures, the fabrication workers and employers testified that they were never provided with that material. And Caesarstone did not present a corporate witness to testify that the warnings or brochures had actually been provided. Plaintiffs also presented evidence concerning hazard-warning language, if indeed ever conveyed at all, described the products as “not hazardous” and “natural.”
In 2023, Caesarstone introduced Mineral, a lower-silica line containing between 11% and 40% crystalline silica, while continuing to sell products containing substantially higher concentrations of crystalline silica.
In 2025, Caesarstone began selling its recycled-glass ICON product containing less than 1% crystalline silica while continuing to sell high-crystalline-silica artificial stone products.
Seventh U.S. Artificial Stone Silicosis Trial Handled by Brayton Purcell LLP
The Rivas Williams case was the seventh artificial stone silicosis trial involving a countertop fabrication worker in the United States handled by Brayton Purcell LLP. Six of those trials have resulted in verdicts in favor of plaintiffs.
The plaintiffs were represented at trial by Brayton Purcell LLP partner James Nevin and associate Steven Patti, with support from associates Grecia Perez, Jason Rose and Hugh Cook, trial paralegal Silvia Guerrero, trial law clerk Lindsay Sayers and trial legal secretary Angela Porterfield.
Plaintiffs’ witnesses included fabrication specialist Aki Vourakis; Dr. Michael Ellenbecker, CIH, a certified industrial hygienist; Dr. David Ross, M.D., regarding lung transplants; pulmonologist Dr. Andrew McClintock Greenberg, M.D.; Dr. Richard Cohen, M.D., regarding occupational medicine and epidemiology; forensic economist Mr. James Mills; and life-care planner Dr. Aaron Wolfson.
Caesarstone Ltd. and Caesarstone USA, Inc. were represented by Carter George and Alex Calfo of King & Spalding.
The defense presented Haifa Hughes, CIH, a certified industrial hygienist, and Dennis Paustenbach, Ph.D., CIH, a toxicologist.
Artificial Stone Fabricators Diagnosed with Silicosis
Brayton Purcell LLP represents artificial stone countertop fabrication workers and their families in cases involving artificial stone silicosis.
Workers who have been diagnosed with silicosis after cutting, grinding or polishing artificial stone countertops, as well as families seeking information regarding artificial stone exposure and disease, can contact Brayton Purcell LLP to learn more about their legal options.
About Brayton Purcell LLP
Brayton Purcell LLP represents workers and families in complex litigation involving artificial stone silicosis and other occupational diseases. The firm has handled all seven U.S. artificial stone silicosis trials involving countertop fabrication workers to date, six of which have resulted in verdicts in favor of plaintiffs, as well as in several trials that have settled prior to verdict.
For additional information regarding this verdict, contact:
James P. Nevin, Esq.
Brayton Purcell LLP
(415) 493-3531
jnevin@braytonlaw.com
For media inquiries:
Nolan Lowry
Chief Marketing Officer
Brayton Purcell LLP
nlowry@braytonlaw.com
(415) 399-3107
braytonlaw.com
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