Sterigenics lawsuit: Jury awards $363 million to cancer survivor Susan Kamuda

Medical device sterilization company Sterigenics must pay $363 million to cancer survivor Susan Kamuda, who had claimed that its Illinois plant's emissions caused her illness, a jury in Cook County ruled.

"Just such a relief. What came after that really didn't matter," Kamuda said in reference to the jury's ruling, according to CBS Chicago.

The case is the first in more than 700 lawsuits the company is facing, according to Bloomberg Law. The company used ethylene oxide, a known carcinogen, to sterilize medical equipment, with Kamuda's lawsuit claiming that the Willowbrook, Illinois-based plant emitted the chemical for decades.