Cambria Silicosis Lawsuit: What to Know If You Worked With Cambria Countertops

Cambria Company LLC is a Minnesota-based company known as one of the largest U.S. makers of engineered quartz for kitchen countertops and bathrooms. The company is named in silicosis lawsuits because its quartz slabs contain high levels of crystalline silica.

When workers cut, grind or polish this engineered stone material, it releases fine dust that can be breathed in and cause silicosis, an incurable, progressive and potentially fatal inflammatory lung disease. Silicosis scars the air sacs in the lungs and makes it difficult to breathe.

According to Cambria’s safety data sheet, 87% or more of their quartz slabs are crystalline silica. Other estimates are closer to 93%, matching the company’s competitors, Silestone (Cosentino), Caesarstone and MSI Q.

Silicosis lawsuits say Cambria and other engineered stone and silica product manufacturers didn’t properly warn workers that they could develop silicosis and other silica-dust-related lung problems. Lawsuits claim engineered quartz is a defective product that can harm workers because the concentration of silica in engineered quartz stone is much higher, putting workers at greater risk, compared to 30% in granite and less than 10% in marble.

Cutting, grinding, polishing or otherwise disturbing engineered quartz slabs like Cambria’s releases significant amounts of silica dust, and breathing it in over time scars the lungs and can cause silicosis. The dust produced from processing these quartz slabs can reach dangerous levels even if it can’t be seen with the naked eye.

Some experts say using protective measures — such as wet cutting, proper ventilation and respiratory protection — might not be enough to prevent inhaling unsafe amounts of silica dust from processing engineered stone products.

Researchers with the University of California and the California Department of Public Health published a study in JAMA Internal Medicine estimating that around 100,000 U.S. stone fabrication workers are at risk of silicosis from unsafe levels of silica dust.

Workers Affected by Cambria Products

Gustavo Reyes Gonzalez and Tyler Jordan both developed silicosis after fabricating Cambria’s quartz products.

Gustavo Reyes Gonzalez:
Gonzalez, 35, had worked for 15 years as a stone fabricator in California, cutting engineered stone for countertops and bathrooms, including Cambria’s. In 2019, he developed a cough and shortness of breath. He wasn’t diagnosed with silicosis until two years later, and doctors gave him one year to live. He was able to get a double lung transplant, but he will likely need another transplant after a few years.

Tyler Jordan:
Jordan worked in Colorado as a stone fabricator at his family’s shop for roughly a decade, where he cut and shaped countertop slabs, including Cambria’s, before being diagnosed with silicosis and a silica-related kidney condition in his late 20s.

So far, juries have penalized Cambria in two lawsuits that have gone to trial. Juries ordered the company to pay nearly $70 million to two stone fabrication workers who developed silicosis after working with Cambria’s quartz products.

Although there haven’t been any global settlements, some firms have reported that cases have been settled before trial. For example, a stone fabricator who worked in California sued Cambria and other companies, and his case settled for about $26 million in 2025, right before trial. The anonymous person worked for 22 years at various stone fabrication shops and developed accelerated complicated silicosis with Pulmonary Massive Fibrosis (PMF).

Is There a Class Action Against Cambria?

No nationwide class action or multidistrict litigation (MDL) currently exists. A large chunk of the cases are in California state court. If the case numbers continue to grow, it’s possible a judge will decide to consolidate cases from across the country into a single court.

Cambria maintains that its products are not defective and are safe when employers follow proper safety guidelines. The company has said the focus should be on employers who don’t protect their workers or follow OSHA guidelines.

Rebecca Shult, Chief Legal Officer of Cambria, testified before a government subcommittee in response to hundreds of lawsuits the company faces. Shult said, “Despite having no role in causing the workers’ injuries, Cambria and other manufacturers and suppliers are the targets of these lawsuits.”

If you worked as a stone fabricator or in another job that cut Cambria quartz slabs and were later diagnosed with silicosis or another silica-related lung disease, you may qualify to file a lawsuit.

Criteria to qualify for a lawsuit:

• Exposed to silica dust in a qualifying line of work — stone fabrication, construction and mining or industrial work.
• Diagnosed with one of the following after silica exposure
  • Chronic, Accelerated or Acute Silicosis
  • Lung Cancer
  • Pneumoconiosis
  • Progressive Massive Fibrosis

These are general guidelines. If you aren’t sure if you qualify for a lawsuit, you should still contact a lawyer. They can help determine if your specific case qualifies for a lawsuit.