Every day, thousands of California workers show up to countertop fabrication shops and cut, grind, and polish engineered stone to build the beautiful kitchens and bathrooms that fill homes across the state. What many of them didn't know, and what their employers often failed to warn them about, is that the dust created by that work can be deadly.
Silicosis, an incurable and progressive lung disease caused by inhaling crystalline silica dust, has become a full-blown crisis in California. And for the workers who are getting sick, the fight to survive is being made even harder by insurance companies that are denying or delaying the workers' compensation benefits they are legally entitled to.
What is Silicosis and Why Is It Spreading?
Silicosis occurs when silica dust, released during the cutting, grinding, or polishing of stone, is inhaled and permanently scars the lungs. Engineered stone, also known as quartz or artificial stone, is now the most popular countertop material in the U.S., and the silica dust it produces is far more dangerous than that of granite or other natural stones.
In California, the only state actively tracking silicosis linked to engineered stone, 31 stoneworkers have died, and nearly 60 have undergone lung transplants since 2019. At least 560 people have been diagnosed with the disease, a figure expected to grow significantly, with 75% of cases confirmed over the last three years alone.
Nearly all of those affected statewide are low-income Latino immigrants who didn't know about the dangers of inhaling engineered stone dust until they or their coworkers got sick.
Insurance Companies Are Denying Claims
Under California law, workers who suffer a job-related illness are entitled to workers' compensation benefits to cover medical care and lost wages. But for stoneworkers with silicosis, getting those benefits has become an exhausting and often impossible fight.
Many California countertop workers diagnosed with silicosis from engineered stone are struggling to obtain workers' compensation benefits as insurers deny claims, and taxpayers fund costly lung transplants through Medi-Cal.
Statewide, at least 80 sick stonecutters remain without workers' comp payment after fighting for a year or longer for the benefits they are owed.
The tactics insurers use to deny these claims are well-documented. When there are multiple employers over a worker's career, employers point fingers at each other, and if the employers are pointing fingers at each other, the insurance carriers do the same. Meanwhile, the worker goes without income, without medical coverage, and without hope.
Insurance companies are more likely to deny claims for illnesses developed over time compared to physical injuries linked to a single accident. For insurers, denial is often the first step because they think some of those cases will go away.
The Human Cost
The story of Eleazar Resendiz Cortes puts a human face on this crisis. Resendiz Cortes, who was diagnosed with silicosis in 2024, can no longer work. He pursued workers' compensation benefits but has received no payment after two years. His family now relies on help from relatives to survive, and the worsening shortness of breath keeps him from biking or swimming with his three daughters as he once did.
"What I want is for someone to take responsibility," he said. "In this case, the insurance companies."
He is not alone. Across California, workers who dedicated their careers to building beautiful homes for others are now watching their own lives fall apart, unable to work, unable to breathe, and unable to get the compensation they earned.
What California Workers Need to Know About Their Rights
If you or a loved one worked in countertop fabrication and has been diagnosed with silicosis, or is experiencing shortness of breath, persistent cough, or other respiratory symptoms, you may have a workers' compensation claim even if a previous claim was denied.
Here is what you should know:
- You have the right to file a claim- California law requires employers with more than one employee to carry workers' compensation insurance. A job-related illness like silicosis is covered, regardless of how many employers you worked for.
- A denial is not the end- Workers can challenge insurance denials at the state Division of Workers' Compensation and the Workers' Compensation Appeals Board. An experienced attorney can help you navigate that process and fight back against an insurer's denial. Yelp
- You do not have to fight alone- Many workers hesitate to file claims out of loyalty to former employers or fear of retaliation. But your health and your family's financial security must come first. The law is on your side.
- Time matters- Silicosis is progressive. The longer you wait to pursue your claim, the harder it can become to document the connection between your illness and your work.
How Rodich Law Can Help
At Rodich Law, we have been fighting for the rights of injured California workers for over 50 combined years. We understand the tactics insurance companies use to deny legitimate claims, and we know how to counter them.
Attorney Gary Rodich is a Board Certified Workers' Compensation Specialist and former insurance company lawyer. That background gives our team an insider's understanding of how insurers think and how to hold them accountable. We have successfully recovered benefits for clients whose claims were previously denied, and we have obtained settlements for silicosis victims ranging into the millions of dollars.
We offer free case evaluations and charge no attorney fee unless we win your case. If you or someone you love has been diagnosed with silicosis or is experiencing symptoms after working with engineered stone, do not wait.
Call Rodich Law today at (818) 403-3737 or contact us online for a free consultation. We are here to help you get your life back.
