That case was settled, settlements are NOT examples how long a case "typically" takes. Civil suits against large corporations tend to take well over ten years and often more than 20 because the length of the suit is not just the original trial - it's every appeal through all the many layers of the justice system. And, at each point,  there is a chance that the defendant could win an an appeal - which means the plaintiff loses (with a legal bill that could be hundreds of thousands of dollars by now), but the plaintiff can always appeal to a higher court if THEY lose.

The first claim for damages against an Asbestos firm in South Africa took 28 years to be won (since then cases have tended to settle fairly quickly - because precedent was now set).

Silicosis claims against South African mines are still ongoing in litigation. The earliest plaintiffs were exposed in 1965 !

"Bury them in years of paper and cost" is an age-old corporate tactic.