Asbestos News Roundup: 4.1.10

April 1st, 2010. By LucyC

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

Asbestos Lawsuits

Susan Olsen has re-filed the asbestos lawsuit her and her now deceased husband, Merlin Olsen—star of Little House on the Prairie—had submitted while he was still alive. The original suit had named 38 defendants alleging they had exposed Merlin to asbestos and were negligent in so doing. Susan Olsen’s new suit also names executives at NBC Studios and 20th Century Fox Film Corp., as well as paint manufacturers Sherwin-Williams. (TMZ.com) 

St. Clair Co., IL: St. Clair County in Illinois saw five more asbestos lawsuits filed at the end of March. Among them is a complaint by Mr. Raleigh Yarberough, who worked as a seaman in the U.S. Navy from 1956 until 1960 and then as a service worker at Gross Air Heating and Cooling from 1960 until 1969. He also worked as a machine operator at Service Heel Company from 1971 to 1975 and as a carpenter and mill operator in 1976.

Mr. Yarberough’s complaint names 26 defendant companies which contributed to his developing asbestos-related lung cancer, because he handled asbestos-containing products while working for them.

Another of the five suits was filed by Charles Graham on behalf of his father, Richard Graham, who was diagnosed with asbestos mesothelioma in November 2006, and subsequently died in January, 2007. His suit names nine defending companies for whom Richard worked and the US Navy where he was as a motor machinist’s mate. 

All the lawsuits claim that “as a result of their asbestos-related diseases, the plaintiffs or their deceased relatives became disabled and disfigured, incurred medical costs and suffered great physical pain and mental anguish, the complaints say. In addition, they claim they became prevented from pursuing their normal course of employment and, as a result, lost large sums of money that would have accrued to them.” (Madison County Record.com)

Asbestos Law

The Virginia Senate has voted down a proposal that would have protected a company from asbestos lawsuits in Virginia. Bill HB 629, would have shielded Crown Cork & Seal from asbestos lawsuits. According to the Washington Post, Cork & Crown has been named in more than 300,000 asbestos claims and has paid $600 million in expenses. 

The Post also reports that Crown Cork has spent more than $100,000 on lobbyists since 2007 and donated more than $100,000 to 46 Virginia legislators or their political action committees. The company employs over 300 people in Virginia. It said it would have to close down if the bill failed to pass. (PR Canada.com) 

Asbestos Scams

Unfortunately, this is no April Fool’s joke—Fortune (CNN.com) is reporting that “dozens of websites were [up until Wednesday] identifying themselves with a Red Cross-ish logo and names like “VA Medical Center Palo Alto,” or “VA Hospital San Francisco,” or “VA Medical Center Gainesville” though they had no affiliation with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.” 

The sites came down on Wednesday, but were located at addresses such as www.vamedicalcenterpaloalto.com or www.vamedicalhospitalsanfrancisco.com. They are no longer operational. (CNN Money)

Tags: Asbestos, Asbestos Mesothelioma

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