Robert Hardick died at age 69, being a veteran with mesothelioma -a fatal cancer of the linings that he contracted while serving in the U.S. Navy from the 1950s to the 1970s-.Illinois-based John Crane Inc., a shipyard supplier, was accused of supplying asbestos-laden parts to the Navy. Garlock Sealing Technologies of Palmyra, N.Y., a codefendant in the case, settled out of court, leaving Crane to handle the matter.

The jury held the company’s asbestos-laden parts responsible for the plaintiff’s death as Hardick had worked as a shipfitter at the Norfolk Naval Shipyard where he used brushes and hammers to remove asbestos from ships, mainly sealants from pumps and valves. Hardick also served aboard the cruiser USS Newport News where he again came in contact with asbestos. The jury was quick to return a $5.98 million verdict that includes $2 million for Hardick’s pain and suffering; $1.15 million for the loss suffered by his widow; $2.5 million for lost future income; and $327,000 in medical and funeral expenses.

Hardick died within a year of discovering that he had mesothelioma, a disease that grows silently for decades before it manifests. John Crane Inc. will have to shell out $2.99 million of the verdict passed on April 13.