Supreme Court Upholds Brewery's Liability to Worker Under 'Safe-Place Statute'

A divided Wisconsin Supreme Court upheld a jury’s award for a worker with mesothelioma, including an award of punitive damages, against a brewery for violating the state’s "safe-place statute." Case: Estate of Lorbiecki v. Pabst Brewing Co., No. 2022AP723, 04/15/2026, published. Facts: From the 1970s to the 2000s, Gerald Lorbiecki worked as a pipe fitter. He worked at many locations over the years, including a brewery owned by Pabst Brewing Co. The brewery contained miles of asbestos-insulated pipe, and when Lorbiecki worked there, he and others would chip the insulati...