Asbestos News Roundup: 1.27.12

January 27th, 2012. By LucyC

A roundup of recent asbestos-related news and information that you should be aware of. An ongoing list of reported asbestos hot spots in the US from the Asbestos News Roundup archive appears on our asbestos map.

Asbestos Lawsuits

St. Clair County, IL: Betty Ruth Rhodes, who has been diagnosed with asbestos-related lung cancer, has filed an asbestos lawsuit naming 65 corporations as defendants. Rhodes claims in her lawsuit that the defendants should have known of the harmful effects of asbestos, but failed to exercise reasonable care and caution for the plaintiff’s safety.

In her lawsuit, Rhodes alleges the defendant companies caused her to develop lung cancer after her exposure to asbestos-containing products throughout her career. According to the complaint, Rhodes worked as a laborer from 1958 until 1990 at Borg Warner in Illinois, at Speedway Manufacturing in Illinois and at Rhodes Camper Sale.

Rhodes further claims she was secondarily exposed to asbestos fibers through her father and husband, who would bring them home on his clothes after work. Rhodes’s father worked as a laborer at International Harvester in Illinois while her husband worked as a millwright from 1956 until 1970 at Reynolds Metal Company, as a millwright at ITT from 1970 until 1972 and as a millwright at Alcoa from 1972 until 1992, according to the lawsuit.

As a result of her asbestos-related disease, Rhodes became disabled and disfigured, incurred medical costs and suffered great physical pain and mental anguish, the complaint says. Furthermore, she became prevented from pursuing her normal course of employment and, as a result, lost large sums of money that would have accrued to her, she alleges.

In her nine-count complaint, Rhodes is seeking a judgment of more than $50,000, compensatory damages of more than $100,000, economic damages of more than $150,000 and punitive and exemplary damages of more than $150,000, plus other relief the court deems just. (Madisonrecord.com)

Jefferson County, TX: An asbestos lawsuit has been filed by the family of the late Robert Marze against Chevron and Texaco, alleging the companies exposed him to the carcinogen throughout his career, and that exposure resulted in his untimely death.

In their lawsuit, Doris Marze and her children claim Robert Marze was employed by Texaco in Port Arthur, where he was allegedly exposed to asbestos.

As the result of his alleged exposure, Robert Marze developed pulmonary asbestosis, which caused his death on August 20.

The suit alleges the defendants knew for decades that asbestos caused cancer but still exposed employees to the substance without warning them. (SETexasrecord.com)

Charleston, WV: 190 companies have been named as defendants in eight separate asbestos lawsuits filed by 15 defendants.

George E. Bickerstaff and Carolyn Bickerstaff; Melva J. Devore, executrix of the Estate of Melvin E. Carpenter; Barbara Ford, executrix of the Estate of James Fife; David T. Gorrell Jr. and Mary J. Gorrell; Paul R. Groves and Mary Ellen Groves; Eulonda Haley; David K. Harris and Linda Harris; George W. Kokos and Maryann Kokos; and Michael Tennant and Cheryl Tennant are suing the 190 defendants for lung injuries caused by exposure to asbestos and/or asbestos-containing materials, according to the complaints.

The plaintiffs claim the defendants are responsible for asbestosis and lung cancer sustained by Bickerstaff, Carpenter, Fife, David Gorrell, Paul Groves, Haley and David Harris, and asbestosis sustained by George Kokos and Michael Tennant.

The suit alleges the defendants failed to warn the plaintiffs of the dangers of the asbestos products when they knew or should have known that exposure to asbestos-containing products would cause disease and injury.

According to the lawsuit, the defendants also failed to exercise reasonable care to warn them and inform the plaintiffs of safe and sufficient apparel for a person exposed to asbestos to wear or use.

The 190 defendants named in the suit are: 20th Century Glove Corporation of Texas; 4520 Corp., Inc.; Air & Liquid Systems Corporation; Ajax Magnethermic Corporation; Alliance Machine Company; Allied Glove Corporation; Ametek, Inc.; Anderson Greenwood & Co.; Andritz, Inc.; Armstrong International, Inc.; Armstrong Pumps, Inc.; Ashland, Inc.; Atlas Industries, Inc.; Aurora Pump Company; Bayer Corporation; Bayer Cropscience, Lp; Beazer East, Inc.; Bechtel Corporation; Borg-Warner Corporation; Bp Amoco Chemical Company; Bp Products North America, Inc.; Brand Insulations, Inc.; Burnham Holdings, Inc.; Cabot Corporation; Cameron International Corporation; Canadianoxy Offshore Production Company; Cashco, Inc.; Catalytic Construction Company; CBS Corporation; Century Aluminum Company; Certainteed Corporation; Chevron U.S.A., Inc.; the Cincinnati Gasket, Packing & Mfc, Inc.; Cleaver-Brooks, Inc.; Columbian Chemicals Company; Columbus McKinnon Corporation; Cooper Industries, Inc.; Copes-Vulcan, Inc.; Coppus Turbines; Corbesco, Inc.; Crane Company, Inc.; Dana Corporation; Degussa Corporation; Dezurik, Inc.; Dow Chemical Company; Dravo Corporation; E.I. Du Pont De Nemours & Company; Eaton Corporation; Eichleay Corporation; F.B. Wright Company; the Fairbanks Company; Fairmont Supply Company; Flowserve U.S., Inc., and its Byron Jackson Pump Division; Flowserve U.S., Inc., F/K/A Flowserve Fsd Corporation, F/K/A/ Durametallic Corp.; Flowserve U.S., Inc., F/K/A Flowserve FSD Corporation; Flowserve U.S., Inc., F/K/A Flowserve FSD Corporation, as successor to Edward Valves, Inc.; Flowserve U.S., Inc., F/K/A Flowserve FSD Corporation, as successor to Valtek International; Flsmidth Inc.; Flsmidth Dorr-Oliver Eimco, Inc.; Flsmidth Salt Lake City, Inc.; Fluor Constructors International; FMC Corporation; Foseco, Inc.; Foster Wheeler, LLC; Fuller Company; the Gage Company; Gardner Denver, Inc.; General Electric Company; General Refractories Company; General Technologies, Inc.; Gentex Corporation; George V. Hamilton, Inc.; the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company; Goulds Pumps, Inc.; Graybar Electric Company, Inc.; Greene Tweed & Co.; Grinnell LLC; Gulf Oil Corporation; H.E. Neumann Company; Hercules Chemical Company, Inc.; Hinchliffe & Keener, Inc.; Hoechst Celanese Chemical Group, Inc.; Honeywell International, Inc.; Howden North America, Inc.; Hunter Sales Corporation; Huntsman International LLC; I.U. North America, Inc.; IMO Industries, Inc.; Industrial Holdings Corporation; Industrial Rubber Products; Ingersoll-Rand Company; Insul Company, Inc.; International Systems and Controls Corporation; ITT Corporation; J.H. France Refractories Company; Jabo Supply Corporation; Jacobs Engineering Group, Inc.; Jno J. Disch Company; John Crane, Inc.; Joseph T. Ryerson & Son, Inc.; Joy Technologies, Inc.; Katy Industries, Inc.; Kelly Moore Paint Company; Kentile Floors, Inc.; Lockheed Martin Corporation; M.S. Jacobs & Associates, Inc.; Magnetek, Inc.; Mallinckrodt LLC; Manitowoc Company, Inc.; McCarls, Inc.; McJunkin Redman Corporation; Meadwestvaco Corporation; Metropolitan Life Insurance Company; Mine Safety Appliance, Inc.; Minnotte Contracting Corporation; Mobil Corporation; Monongahela Power Company; Morgan Engineering Systems, Inc.; Mueller Steam Specialty; Nagle Pumps, Inc.; National Services Industries, Inc.; Nitro Industrial Coverings, Inc.; Occidental Chemical Corporation; Oglebay Norton Company; Osram Sylvania, Inc.; Owens-Illinois, Inc.; P&H Mining Equipment, Inc.; Parker-Hannifin Corp.; Parker-Hannifin Corporation; Peerless Industries, Inc.; Pennzoil-Quaker State Company; Pharmacia Corporation; Plotkin Brothers Supply, LLP; Pneumo Abex Corporation; Potomac Edison Company; Power Piping Company; PPG Industries, Inc.; Premier Refractories, Inc.; Reading Crane; Research-Cottrell, Inc.; Rhone-Poulenc Ag Company, Inc.; Riley Power, Inc.; Robinson Fans, Inc.; Rockwell Automation, Inc.; Roper Pump Company; Rust Constructors, Inc.; Rust Engineering & Construction, Inc.; Safety First Industries, Inc.; the Sager Corporation; Saint-Gobain Abrasives, Inc.; Schneider Electric USA, Inc.; Seco/Warwick Corporation; Shell Oil Company; Simakas Company, Inc.; S.P. Kinney Engineers, Inc.; Spirax Sarco, Inc.; SPX Cooling Technologies, Inc.; Sterling Fluid Systems (USA), LLC; Sullair Corporation; Sunbeam Products, Inc.; Sundyne Corporation; SVI Corporation; Taco, Inc.; Tasco Insulation, Inc.; Team Industrial Services, Inc.; Townsend & Bottom, Inc.; Trane U.S., Inc.; Trans-Pumps, Inc.; Trans-Pumps, Inc. of Pittsburgh; UB West Virginia, Inc.; Unifrax Corporation; Union Carbide Corporation; United Conveyor Corporation; United States Steel Corporation; Universal Refractories Corporation; Viacom Inc.; Viking Pump, Inc.; Vimasco Corporation; Warren Pumps, Inc.; Washington Group International; Waste Management, Inc.; Watson McDaniel Company; Weil-McLain Company; West Penn Power Company; Whiting Corporation; the William Powell Company; WTI Rust Holdings, Inc.; Wyeth Holdings Corporation; Yarway Corporation; and Zurn Industries, LLC.

Charleston, WV: The daughter of a man who died from asbestos-related illness is suing 62 companies she claims are responsible for her father’s death.

Carl Richard Butler Sr., was diagnosed with esophageal cancer on January 7, 2010, and subsequently died on April 18, 2011, according to the lawsuit. Butler worked as a machinist, laborer and pipefitter and it was during this time that Deidra G. Hill claims the defendants exposed her father to asbestos and/or asbestos-containing products. She further alleges that the defendants knew or should have known of the dangers of asbestos and failed to warn Butler.

The 62 defendants named in the suit are: A.W. Chesterton Company; Allied Chemical Corporation; Armstrong International, Inc.; Aurora Pump Company; Brand Insulations, Inc.; BWIP, Inc.; Catalytic Construction Company; Certainteed Corporation; Chicago Pump Company; Cleaver-Brooks, Inc.; Columbus McKinnon Corporation; Crane Co.; Crown Cork & Seal USA, Inc.; Dezurik, Inc.; Dravo Corporation; Flowserve FSD Corporation; Flowserve US, Inc.; FMC Corporation; Foseco, Inc.; Gordon Gasket & Packing; Goulds Pumps, Inc.; Greene Tweed & Company; Grinnell, LLC; I.U. North America, Inc.; IMO Industries, Inc.; Industrial Holdings Corporation; Industrial Supply Solutions; Ingersoll-Rand Company; Insul Company, Inc.; ITT Corporation; Kentucky Power Company; Lockheed Martin Corporation; McJunkin Corporation; Morgan Engineering Systems, Inc.; Mueller Steam Specialty; Nagle Pumps, Inc.; Nitro Industrial Coverings, Inc.; Oglebay Norton Company; Ohio Valley Insulating Company, Inc.; Pneumo Abex Corporation; Premiere Refractories, Inc.; Reading Crane; Riley Power, Inc.; Roper Pump Company; Rust Constructors, Inc.; Rust Engineering & Construction, Inc.; Schneider Electric USA, Inc.; Spirax Sarco, Inc.; State Electric Supply; Sterling Fluid Systems (USA), LLC; the Alliance Machine Company; the F.D. Lawrence Electric Company; the William Powell Company; UB West Virginia, Inc.; United Engineers & Constructors; Viking Pump, Inc.; Vimasco Corporation; Warren Pumps, Inc.; West Virginia Electric Supply; WT/HRC Corporation; Yarway Corporation; and Zurn Industries, Inc.

Asbestos Settlements

Los Angeles, CA: A California construction worker who developed a highly aggressive form of cancer after exposure to asbestos has received $7.5 million in settlement of legal claims against six companies that manufactured or distributed asbestos-cement pipe.

The 57-year old man, whose identity and current city of residence are withheld at his request, sued last August after he was diagnosed less than one year earlier with mesothelioma

The man was a construction worker who, in the 1970s and 1980s, helped install underground water and sewer lines. These pipes—6 to 48 inches in diameter—were made of a concrete-asbestos composite material for strength but also for ease of fabrication. The defendants made, sold or delivered them, according to the man’s attorney.

The plaintiff’s job in part was to cut asbestos-concrete pipes so they could be properly laid and connected beneath public and private streets in and around the Sacramento Valley city of Chico.

However, according to the court filing, the task of cutting this particular type of pipe posed extreme health risks. The cuts generated an enormous amount of cement-asbestos dust, which flew in every direction from the saw’s whirring blades and engine exhaust blast. This snowstorm of asbestos dust was at times so thick you couldn’t see the person standing three feet away. By the end of each workday, the plaintiff was covered from head to toe in a thick layer of asbestos dust. (SFGate.com)

Tags: Asbestos, asbestos lawsuit, Asbestos Settlement, asbestosis, asbestos_mesothelioma, mesothelioma

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