A jury in San Francisco has awarded a $20 million verdict to a couple who filed a mesothelioma lawsuit against the manufacturers of construction materials containing asbestos. Joan and Daniel Mahoney alleged that she developed mesothelioma after being exposed to asbestos-containing products manufactured by Georgia Pacific Co. and several other companies.

The Mahoneys started a home remodeling business in the 1970s, and over the next thirty years, remodeled more than 200 homes. One of the products they used in remodeling was a joint compound which contained asbestos that was manufactured by Georgia Pacific. Because asbestos exposure can cause a number of serious or deadly illnesses—including mesothelioma, lung cancer and asbestosis—this compound was banned by the federal government in 1977.

Joan Mahoney was diagnosed with mesothelioma in 2006. In the mesothelioma case brought by her and her husband, they alleged that Georgia Pacific was aware of the serious health risks posed by asbestos at the time they were manufacturing the joint compound, but continued to produce and distribute the product anyway.

The San Francisco jury who heard their asbestos claim agreed, and awarded the couple a $20 million verdict. Because the couple had already reached a mesothelioma settlement with the manufacturers of other asbestos products, Georgia Pacific was found 30% liable in the case, and will be forced to pay an equivalent portion of the total verdict.