Asbestos News Roundup: 10.14.10

October 14th, 2010. By LucyC

A roundup of recent asbestos-related news and information that you should be aware of. 

Asbestos Lawsuits 

St. Clair, IL:  Four new asbestos complaints were recently filed in St. Clair County Circuit Court, adding to the already extensive list of asbestos-related claims filed in that county. 

Among them, John E. Collins filed a lawsuit against 39 defendant companies. The suit claims that he brought asbestos fibers home with him after his work as a laborer in the shipping and maintenance department at Kimberly Clark from 1952 until 1963, as a laborer in the shipping and maintenance department at Great Southern Paper Co. from 1963 until 1975 and as a supervisor in the shipping department at Virginia Fiber from 1975 until 1979. By bringing clothes home with asbestos fibers on them, he accidentally exposed his wife, Juanita C. Collins to asbestos, according to the complaint. 

Juanita C. Collins developed lung cancer which resulted in her death October 2008. The suit claims that her illness and subsequent death resulted from her exposure to the asbestos fibers. 

John Collins is seeking $150,000 for economic damages, $50,000 in punitive and exemplary damages, $100,000 in compensatory damages, punitive damages in an amount sufficient to punish Sprinkmann Sons Corporation and Young Insulation Group to deter them from their misconduct and a judgment for more than $150,000. 

Charles Lewis Jr. and Bobbie Lewis are also among the four new suits filed. They have named 29 defendant companies and allege that Charles Lewis Jr. claims developed lung cancer after his work as a loader at Cole Manufacturing in the early 1970s; as a loader at Three State Supply from 1975 until 1977; as an iron worker at LaClede Steel from 1974 until 1975; as a security police officer from 1978 until 1989; as a nuclear weapon guard, administrator and heat plant manager in the U.S. Air Force; as a security guard at various locations from 1990 until 1991 and as a corrections officer for the county sheriff’s department from 1991 until now. 

A third suit filed in St. Clair County is that of Robert and Janet Lancaster of Massachusetts who name 26 defendant companies. Robert Lancaster claims he developed mesothelioma after his work as a laborer at Conrad Construction from 1949 until 1954, as a laborer and apprentice bricklayer at John Statuto from 1949 until 1959, as a bricklayer at various commercial and residential sites from 1959 until 1972 and as a self-employed bricklayer from 1973 until 1992. 

And the fourth suit, filed by Robert Melson, alleges that exposure to asbestos fibers caused his father, George N. Melson Jr., to developed lung cancer, which led to his father’s death in December, 2007. The suit names 47 defendant companies. 

The suit claims that George N. Melson Jr., developed lung cancer after his work as a mechanic at Melson Service Station from 1946 until 1957, as the owner of Melson Hardware from 1958 until 1964, as a salesman at Investor Diversified Services from 1965 until 1967, as the owner of Melson Drug Store from 1967 until 1969, as a salesman at A & M Supply from 1969 until 1970, as a farmer at Melson Farms from 1971 until 1978 and as the owner of three Sinclair service stations from 1969 until 1990. 

Robert Melson is seeking economic damages of more than $200,000, a judgment of more than $150,000, punitive and exemplary damages of more than $50,000, compensatory damages of more than $100,000 and punitive damages in an amount sufficient to punish the defendants for their misconduct. (madisonrecord.com) 

Asbestos Settlements

Clay County, MO: A $4.5 million settlement has been awarded in the case of a 70-year old man who died of asbestos mesothelioma. The plaintiff’s career involved installing ceiling tiles which contained asbestos. During his career he breathed asbestos particles from these tiles on a daily basis while he was cutting, handling and fitting the tiles. His job also caused him on many occasions to be working alongside drywall installers who generated additional asbestos particles from the use of joint compound. The suit claimed negligence, failure to warn and defective dangerous products, against the defendants Conwed, and Simpson’s Lo Tone brand tiles. (JVRA.com)

San Francisco County, CA: A boiler maker and tender for the United States Navy was recently awarded an undisclosed amount in settlement of his asbestos liability case. 

The suit claimed that during his work he was exposed to boilers and other equipment containing asbestos materials. The plaintiff alleged the defendant, Foster Wheeler, and co-defendant, Asbestos Corporation Limited, supplied or manufactured the asbestos containing materials. Suit further claimed that the plaintiff developed asbestosis and asbestos-related pleural disease as a result of exposure to the asbestos-containing materials. (JVRA.com)

Asbestos Hot Spots

Cleanup finishes at San Bruno blast site

San Bruno, CA: Clean-up work finished on Monday, at the site of the P&G Gas explosion in the town of San Bruno. The disaster, which happened on September 9, destroyed homes and killed eight people. 

Thirty-five plots have cleaned up but need to be approved for rebuilding, which will depend on the properties passing tests on levels of hazardous materials present, including asbestos and arsenic remaining onsite. (San Mateo County Times) 

Asbestos, Quebec: A consortium of Indian businessmen has reportedly made an offer to the owners of the Jeffrey Asbestos Mine in the Canadian province of Quebec. The mine desperately needs a large injection of cash in order to stay in business. 

According to a report on CBC.ca, the mine’s president, Bernard Coulombe, confirmed that he received a pitch, but would not say how much the consortium is offering. “We’re looking at (the offer) very seriously, and we have one week to respond,” Coulombe said in an interview. The Jeffrey mine is one of only two sites in Canada that still mines asbestos. (CBVC.CA)

Tags: Asbestos, Asbestos Mesothelioma

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