Posts Tagged ‘ asbestos lawsuit ’

Asbestos News Roundup: 11.7.13 – Remembering Veterans’ Asbestos Risk

November 7th, 2013. 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.

Remembrance: Our Veterans at Risk for Asbestos

Given that on Monday, November 11, the US and Canada will be marking the contributions of their war veterans, it seems a fitting time to remember that many of our veterans are also suffering from terminal, asbestos related illnesses, as a result of asbestos exposure during their service.

US Navy Veterans are at a particularly high risk for asbestos-related disease, due to their asbestos exposure while working on navy ships undergoing refits. But because asbestos-related disease can take up to 30 years or more to manifest, it is often detected long after men have left the Navy.

The states with the most US Navy Veterans include California, Florida, New York, Texas, Ohio, Michigan, Arizona, Massachusetts, Washington, Maine, Oregon, Arizona, Illinois, Wisconsin, Iowa, Pennsylvania, Montana, Kansas, North Dakota, Hawaii, Nebraska, and Mississippi.

US Navy Veterans are not the only group of workers at high risk for asbestos exposure. Men and women who worked in power plants, manufacturing factories, chemical plants, oil refineries, mines, smelters, aerospace manufacturing facilities, demolition construction work sites, railroads, automotive manufacturing facilities, or auto brake shops may also have been exposed to high levels of asbestos

Asbestos Lawsuits

Charleston, WV: CSX Transportation is facing an asbestos class action lawsuit filed by Harold Newton Davis, an ex-employee who alleges the company is responsible for his asbestos-related lung cancer.

Davis was employed by CSX as a laborer and track layer in Huntington from 1945 until 1946, according to his lawsuit. He alleges that during that time he was exposed to toxic substances, including asbestos, which caused him to develop asbestos lung disease, with which he was diagnosed on December 18, 2012.

During his employment, Davis was he was unaware of the health dangers associated with asbestos exposure. In his lawsuit, Davis claims CSX Transportation failed to provide him with a reasonably safe place within which to work and failed to furnish safe and suitable tools and equipment.

As a result of his asbestos exposure and subsequent asbestos disease, Davis has suffered great pain, mental anguish and severe injuries, and his enjoyment of life has been greatly reduced, the lawsuit states. (wvrecord.com)

Madison County, IL: Steve and Marsha Bostick, have recently amended their original asbestos lawsuit to add more defendants. The complaint had named 65 corporations as defendants. However, they now name approximately 70 companies as being responsible for Steve Bostick’s asbestos-related lung disease.

Bostick worked as a mechanic with the Army from 1965 until 1968, as a deckhand on the Mississippi River and a mechanic at MTA City Bus Line from 1968 until 1971, as a power plant operator at TVA from 1971 until 1985 and as a power plant shift operator for the Army Corps of Engineers from 1985 until 2002, according to the asbestos lawsuit.

The Bosticks filed the motion to amend their complaint on October 7 to add secondary exposure history and additional defendants based on information they recently obtained, the document states. Approved on October 17, the amended complaint now names Alcatel-Lucent USA Int, formerly known as Lucent Technologies, Inc, Occidental Chemical Corporation, formerly known as Hookers Chemical Co, Reichhold, Rogers Corporation, and VF Corporation as defendants.

The couple is seeking a judgement in excess of $100,000, economic damages of more than $50,000, punitive damages of more than $100,000 and compensatory damages of more than $50,000 in their 10-count complaint. (madisonrecord.com)

Madison County, IL: James Reef, who filed his asbestos lawsuit in 2012, will now see his day in court. Reef, who worked as a carpenter, filed his lawsuit in December naming Georgia Pacific as the defendant.

According to the lawsuit, Reef’s asbestos exposure resulted from inhalation of asbestos fibers “emanating from certain products he was working with and around” caused him to develop mesothelioma. He blames Georgia Pacific for manufacturing, marketing, supplying and distributing asbestos-containing products, including joint compound and joint treatment systems.

The lawsuit claims that Reef was exposed to drywall, sheetrock, ready mix and joint compound containing asbestos, which he regularly purchased from Georgia Pacific. Reef estimates he’s used several thousand sheets of drywall from the defendant over the course of his career, picking up the products from Georgia Pacific’s facility in Wichita, KS, over 50 times.(madisonrecord.com)

Asbestos Settlements

Madison County, IL: Plaintiff William Costello, who filed an asbestos lawsuit naming over 50 companies as defendants, has had his lawsuit settled before going to trial. The lawsuit was settled after the plaintiff filed a notice to compel the CEOs and CFOs all the defendant companies to testify at trial.

According to the asbestos lawsuit, filed in November, 2012, Costello developed mesothelioma as a result of his exposure to and inhalation of asbestos fibers between the years 1996 and 1999 while he worked as a maintenance man at various locations.

Costello alleged in his complaint that the defendants manufactured, sold, distributed or installed the products containing asbestos fibers,and that they should have anticipated the dangers of working with such products. Additionally, the lawsuit claims the defendants included asbestos in their building products regardless of the known health hazards, and that they failed to use adequate substitutes for the asbestos products, failing to provide proper warnings about the asbestos dangers and failing to instruct employees on how to safely work around the products.

Costello claims he did not know the extent of the health dangers associated with working around asbestos. “Plaintiff remained ignorant and uninformed of the hazards of asbestos, failed to take precautions and was thereby exposed to, inhaled, ingested or otherwise absorbed asbestos fibers, causing him to develop the asbestos disease specified herein,” the lawsuit stated.

Costello accused the defendants of willful and wanton conduct for having a reckless disregard for the safety of the plaintiff. He also claimed the defendants conducted in negligent spoliation of evidence, arguing that documents identifying the asbestos-containing products and the work the plaintiff did, among others, were reasonably considered evidence.

He argued that defendants “breached their duty to preserve said material evidence by destroying and otherwise disposing of said documents and information, at a time when they and each of them knew or should have known that the same constituted material evidence in potential civil litigation,” the lawsuit stated. (madisonrecord.com)

 

Tags: Asbestos, asbestos lawsuit, Asbestos Mesothelioma, asbestos risk, Asbestos Settlement
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Asbestos News Roundup: 11.1.13 – Cigarette Asbestos?

November 1st, 2013. 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.

Cigarettes & Asbestos Risk

It is hard to think of anything that could make cigarettes more dangerous, but back in the 1950s, certain cigarettes actually contained asbestos in their filters. Those asbestos-containing cigarettes have led to lawsuits alleging mesothelioma and asbestosis disease, either on the part of people who smoked the cigarettes or those who worked in the factory that supplied the filters. Other lawsuits alleging exposure to asbestos fibers resulting in asbestosis lung disease are still pending.

According to Daily Business Review (9/19/13), Richard Delisle was diagnosed with mesothelioma, a fatal condition linked to asbestos exposure, in 2012. He alleges that his smoking of Kent cigarettes, which reportedly used a filter that contained asbestos, contributed to his developing mesothelioma. Also included as defendants in the trial were a paper mill company where Delisle was employed and the manufacturer of the filters used in the Kent cigarettes.

A jury found the cigarette maker, Lorillard, and the maker of the filters each 22 percent responsible for Delisle’s condition, with another 16 percent fault given to the paper company. The final 40 percent was against other defendants. In all, the jury awarded Delisle $8 million, with Lorillard paying $3.52 million as a result of an indemnity agreement between Lorillard and the maker of the filter manufacturer.

Asbestos Lawsuits

St. Clair County, IL: Arlon J. Hobbs has filed an asbestos lawsuit naming 63 defendant corporations which, he claims caused him to develop asbestos lung cancer.

Hobbs alleges the defendant companies caused him to develop lung cancer after his exposure to asbestos-containing products throughout his career.

From 1950-1956 and again from 1960-1961 Hobbs worked as a die maintenance worker at General Motors. He then worked as a furnace builder at Tip Welch Die Casting from 1957 until 1961, as a maintenance worker at Acme Brick from 1962 until 1964, as a maintenance worker at Curtis Mathes from 1964 until 1965, as a maintenance worker and furnace builder at Glenvale Die Casting from 1965 until 1972 and as a self-employed general maintenance worker from 1972 until 2012, according to the lawsuit.

Hobbs asserts that the defendants should have known of the harmful effects of asbestos, but failed to exercise reasonable care and caution for his safety.

Suffering from asbestos disease, Hobbs has become disabled and disfigured, incurred medical costs and suffered great physical pain and mental anguish, the lawsuit states. Further, he was prevented from pursuing his normal course of employment and, as a result, lost large sums of money that would have accrued to him, as a result of his potentially terminal illness.

Hobbs is seeking a judgment of more than $150,000.(madisonrecord.com)

New Orleans, LA: A Louisiana man who has been diagnosed with asbestos mesothelioma has filed an asbestos lawsuit naming scores of defendants he alleges are responsible for his occupational exposure to asbestos.

Templeton Evans, a former shipyard worker and pipe-filler, alleges that from 1967 to 1977, during his employment at Avondale Shipyard’s main dock, the Harvey Quick Repair Yard and the Westwego Yard, he used and handled asbestos and asbestos-containing products. He further claims he was exposed to asbestos during his work as a pipefiller for Local 60, Murphy Oil, Union Carbide, Shell Oil, Monsanto, Hooker Chemical, Entergy Waterford III and Chevron, at various sites around the state of Louisiana. Evans alleges he contracted malignant lung cancer as a result of his many years of asbestos exposure.

The defendants, who include: Avondale Industries Inc., Northrop Grumman Ship Systems Inc., Huntington Ingalls Inc., Eagle Inc., Hopeman Brothers Inc., International Paper Company, Liberty Mutual Insurance Company, McCarty Corporation, Maryland Casualty Company, Metropolitan Life Insurance, Reilly-Benton Company, Taylor-Seidenback Inc., Uniroyal Inc., Viacom Inc., Asbestos Corporation Ltd., Albert Bossier, Certain Underwriter’s at Lloyd’s, London, One Beacon Insurance Company, Entergy Gulf States, Louisiana LLC, Union Carbide Corporation, Murphy Oil USA, Chevron USA Inc., Occidental Chemical Corporation, Shell Oil Company and Monsanto, are accused of intentional misconduct, fraud and concealment or conspiracy to defraud or conceal the dangers of asbestos-containing products.

Evans is seeking an unspecified amount in damages for medical costs, lost earnings, mental sufferings and reduced quality of life.(louisianarecord.com)

New Orleans, LA: Lones James Gagnard Jr., recently diagnosed with asbestos-related lung cancer, has filed suit against several companies he alleges are responsible for his exposure to asbestos from the early 1970s.

Gagnard Jr., alleges that he was exposed to injurious levels of asbestos and asbestos-containing products from his occupational exposure from 1972 to 1974 and subsequently contracted lung cancer.

Specifically, Gagnard Jr., accuses the defendants of mining, manufacturing, selling, supplying, distributing, and using products unreasonably dangerous and known to possess inherent dangerous properties with high potential for injury, failing to warn the plaintiff as to the hazards of their products in their foreseeable use, failing to provide safety instructions to eliminate or reduce risks associated with the products, failure to inspect truthfully or adequately report product testing and medical studies, failure to properly design, producing defective products, and failure to properly package their products.

Gagnard further claims that his employers failed to provide him with a safe place to work, adequate engineering or industrial hygiene measures to control the level of exposure to asbestos and failure to warn of associated hazards.

He is seeking an undisclosed amount for all medical costs or expenses, lost earnings, mental suffering, anguish, pain, and suffering, physical pain and suffering, loss of quality of life and disability.

Gagnard Jr. filed suit against Avondale Industries, Inc., Northrop Grumman Ship Systems Inc., Huntington Ingalls Incorporated, Eagle, Inc., Hopeman Brothers Inc., International Paper Company, Champion International, US Plywood, Liberty Mutual Insurance Company as insurer of Wayne Manufacturing Company, McCarty Corporation, Maryland Casualty Company as insurer of Marquette Insulation Inc., Metropolitan Life Insurance Company, Reilly-Benton Company, Taylor-Seidenbach Inc., Uniroyal Inc., Viacom Inc. as successor to CBS Corporation, Wayne Manufacturing, Albert Bossier, Certain Underwriters at Lloyd’s London, OneBeacon Insurance Company, J.D. Roberts, and James Melton Garrett. (louisianarecord.com)

 

Tags: Asbestos, asbestos lawsuit, Asbestos Settlement, asbestosis, mesothelioma
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Asbestos News Roundup: 10.24.13 – Shipyard Asbestos Risk

October 24th, 2013. 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 Risk and Shipyard Workers

Beginning in the 1930s, nearly all ships built by the US Navy—including submarines—contained insulation or other machine parts containing asbestos. From that time, until the 1970s, when the US Navy stopped using asbestos in shipbuilding, thousands of US Navy Veterans and former Merchant Marines who served during World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War and other conflicts were exposed to harmful levels of asbestos, placing them at risk of developing mesothelioma, lung cancer, asbestosis or other asbestos diseases. Shipyard workers, boiler mechanics, electricians and pipefitters who handled asbestos products are also at risk of developing asbestos-related diseases.

Because of the long latency period of the disease, it may take up to 30 years—or more—before Veterans who were exposed to asbestos begin to develop the first symptoms of mesothelioma or other asbestos-related cancers.

Many Veterans who were exposed to asbestos during their time in the military have filed lawsuits against the companies who manufactured asbestos products and the equipment that utilized these products on board US Navy and Merchant Marine ships. In their lawsuits, the Veterans’ alleged they were not warned about the risks of asbestos exposure, even when the companies who manufactured these asbestos products were fully aware of the danger they posed.

Asbestos Lawsuits

Jefferson County, TX: An asbestos lawsuit has been filed by the estate of the late Gloria Harris alleging her lung cancer was caused by her husband’s asbestos exposure at Texaco.

The lawsuit was filed by Joe Harris filed suit against Texaco, and other defendants including TRMI Holdings, Huntsman Petrochemical, Triplex, Santa Fe Braun, Resco Holdings, Bechtel Corp., Sequoia Ventures, Chicago Bridge & Iron and LGS Technologies.

According to the lawsuit, Joe’s late wife inadvertently breathed the asbestos dust from his clothes and riding his vehicle, which he had been exposed to during his employment at Texaco. This allegedly caused her to develop asbestos-related lung cancer, from which she died on February 24, 2012.

The suit accuses the defendants of manufacturing and using asbestos products without warning workers, such as Joe, of the health hazards associated with the carcinogenic mineral. (setexasrecord.com)

New Orleans, LA: Rosemary Rodosta has filed an asbestos lawsuit alleging she developed asbestos-related cancer as a direct result of both direct and secondary asbestos exposure. In her lawsuit Rodosta asserts she has been diagnosed with pleural mesothelioma, which she alleges is a result of both household asbestos exposure from when she was child living in her parents’ residence in Louisiana, and from direct exposure as a result of smoking Kent Cigarettes from 1947 to 1967.

Named defendants in the lawsuit are: Lorillard Tobacco Company, Hollingsworth and Vose Company Inc., Eagle Inc., One Beacon American Insurance Company, McCarty Corporation, Reilly Benton Company Inc., Falstaff Brewing Corporation, Taylor-Seidenbach Inc. and their insurers.

Rodosta alleges that her father worked at Falstaff Brewery, where he was frequently exposed to asbestos, and would come home covered in asbestos dust, which would “emanate from his person.” As a child living in this environment she claims she suffered secondary asbestos exposure.

She further alleges her direct exposure to asbestos came later, as a result of smoking Kent Cigarettes from 1947 to 1967, because the micronite filters of these cigarettes contained crocidolite or blue asbestos at least from the period of March 1952 through May 1956.

The defendants are accused of intentional misconduct, fraud, and concealment or conspiracy to defraud or conceal the dangers of asbestos-containing products.

Rodosta is seeking an unspecified amount in damages is sought for medical costs, lost earnings, mental sufferings and reduced quality of life. (louisianarecord.com)

New Orleans, LA: Robert Dixon, a retired shipyard worker recently diagnosed with terminal asbestos-related cancer, has filed an asbestos lawsuit naming his former employers as well as asbestos miners and distributors as defendants. Dixon was diagnosed with malignant asbestos mesothelioma on October 9, 2012.

In his asbestos complaint, Dixon alleges he was exposed to asbestos several times throughout his career. Specifically, from 1970 to 1973, while he worked as a tacker and shipfitter at Northrop Grumman Ship System’s Inc, formerly known as Avondale Shipyard’s “Main Yard.” Then, from 1976 to 1982 he claims he suffered asbestos exposure from performing daily maintenance for George Engine Company in Harvey, and subsequently for Leson Chevrolet from 1982 to 1987, and from 1987 to date.

Dixon filed his asbestos suit against the 3M Company (The Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company), Albert Bossier, the executive officer of Avondale Industries, Anco Insulations Inc., CBS Corporation, Dana Companies LLC, Eagle Inc., Ford Motor Company, Hennessy Industries Inc., Honeywell International Inc., Hopeman Brothers Inc., International Paper Company, The McCarty Corporation, Northrop Gruman Ship Systems Inc., Reilly-Benton Company Inc. and Taylor-Seidenbach Inc.

Dixon accuses the defendants of mining, manufacturing, selling, supplying, distributing and using products unreasonably dangerous and known to possess inherent dangerous properties with high potential for injury, failing to warn the plaintiff as to the hazards of their products in their foreseeable use, failing to provide safety instructions to eliminate or reduce risks associated with the products, failure to inspect truthfully or adequately report product testing and medical studies, failure to properly design, producing defective products, and failure to properly package their products. In addition, employers allegedly failed to provide Dixon with a safe place to work, adequate engineering or industrial hygiene measures to control the level of exposure to asbestos and failure to warn of associated hazards.

He is seeking an unspecified amount in damages for medical costs, lost earnings, mental sufferings and reduced quality of life.(louisianarecord.com)

 

Tags: Asbestos, asbestos lawsuit, Asbestos Settlement, asbestosis, mesothelioma
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Asbestos News Roundup: 10.10.13 – Hidden Asbestos at School, at Home

October 10th, 2013. 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 Risk at School and at Home

Last month, a junior high school in Rhode Island was closed for several days so that workers could safely remove asbestos from the building. The asbestos was discovered when a ceiling that was being taken down revealed a second concealed ceiling. The hidden ceiling was found to contain asbestos.

Because of its strength and heat resistance, asbestos was used in a wide variety of building construction materials. As the Rhode Island case demonstrates, many times asbestos containing materials may be out of sight.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), asbestos can be found in many products and materials. Some of the many suspect materials include:

• Attic and wall insulation produced containing vermiculite

• Vinyl floor tiles and the backing on vinyl sheet flooring and adhesives

• Roofing and siding shingles

• Textured paint and patching compounds used on wall and ceilings

• Walls and floors around wood-burning stoves protected with asbestos paper, millboard, or cement sheets

• Hot water and steam pipes coated with asbestos material or covered with an asbestos blanket or tape

• Oil and coal furnaces and door gaskets with asbestos insulation

• Heat-resistant fabrics

• Automobile clutches and brakes

You can find out more about asbestos dangers in the home by watching this video:

Asbestos Lawsuits

St. Clair, IL: An asbestos lawsuit has been filed by Steve and Marsha Bostick against 65 defendant corporations which, they allege, caused Steve Bostick. Specifically, the lawsuit claims that Bostick was exposed to asbestos-containing products throughout his career as a mechanic in the US Army from 1965 until 1968, as a deckhand on the Mississippi River and as a mechanic at MTA City Bus Line from 1968 until 1971, as a power plant operator at TVA from 1971 until 1985 and as a power plant shift operator for the Army Corps of Engineers from 1985 until 2002.

The Bosticks claim the defendants should have known of the harmful effects of asbestos, but failed to exercise reasonable care and caution for Steve Bostick’s safety.

According to the lawsuit, as a result of his asbestos-related diseases, Steve Bostick is disabled and disfigured, has incurred medical costs and suffered great physical pain and mental anguish. Further, he was prevented from pursuing his normal course of employment and, as a result, lost large sums of money that would have accrued to him, the lawsuit states.

The Bosticks are seeking a judgment of more than $100,000, economic damages of more than $50,000, punitive and exemplary damages of more than $100,000, compensatory damages of more than $50,000, punitive damages in an amount sufficient to punish the defendants, plus costs and other relief the court deems just. (madisonrecord.com)

New Orleans, LA:The family of Judy Gail Babin has filed an asbestos lawsuit claiming that her diagnosis of asbestos mesothelioma and subsequent death resulted from her asbestos exposure in connection with her husband’s career.

In their lawsuit, Joseph Edward Babin II, husband of Judy Gail Babin and her children, Joseph Edward Babin III and Lori Babin, allege Judy Gail Babin was continuously exposed directly and indirectly to her husband’s asbestos-laden work clothes, his tools, his car, and their shared surroundings. As a result of her second hand or take home asbestos exposure, she developed and died from mesothelioma.

In the lawsuit, the defendants are accused of designing, testing, contracting, evaluating, manufacturing, packaging, furnishing, storing, handling, transporting, installing, supplying and or selling asbestos-containing products. In addition to these charges, the plaintiffs allege that the defendants for many decades have been in possession of medical and scientific data, literature and test reports clearly indicating the danger of asbestos, and willfully, fraudulently and maliciously concealing and distorting these facts.

The family is seeking an undisclosed amount in connection with strict liability, product liability, negligence and conspiracy allegations against the employers, products, equipment, suppliers, and contractors. The plaintiffs seek damages for conscious physical pain and suffering and mental anguish sustained by the decedent, physical impairment, disfigurement, reasonable and necessary medical expenses, loss of consortium, death and any further damages.

The named defendants in the suit are: The Anchor Packing Company, Coltec Industrial, Inc., Foster Wheeler Energy Corporation, Flowserve Corporation, Durco International, Riley Power, Babcock Borsig Power Inc., D.B. Riley, Riley Stoker Corporation, William Powell Company, General Electric Company, Metropolitan Life Insurance Company, Entergy Gulf States LA LLC, Gulf States Utilities Company, Mosiac Fertilizer LLC, IMC Phosphates Company, IMC Agrico Company, Texaco, Motiva Enterprises, Shell Oil Company, Momentice Specialty Chemical Inc., Hexion Specialty Chemicals Inc., Borden Chemical Inc., Borden Inc., The Borden Company, Borden Chemical and Plastics Limited Partnership, BASF Corporation, BASF Wyandotte Corporation, Honeywell International, Allied Signal Inc., Allied-Signal Inc., Georgia Pacific LLC, McDermott Inc., Zeneco Inc., ICI Americas Inc., Rubicon Chemicals, Bovay Engineers International, Burns and Roe Enterprises, Taylor-Seidenbach Inc., The McCarty Corporation, Anco Insulations Inc., Liberty Mutual Insurance Company, Arrowood Indemnity Company, Eagle Inc., Brock Enterprises Inc., Cannon Sline, Inc., Technip Energy and Chemicals International Inc., Shaw Energy and Chemicals Inc., The Shaw Group, Stone & Webber Inc., Technip E & C Inc. and Turner Industries Group LLC. (louisianarecord.com)

New Orleans, LA: Several companies have been named in an asbestos lawsuit filed by Lones James Gagnard Jr. who contracted asbestos-related lung cancer, which he attributes to his occupational exposure to asbestos containing materials from the early 1970s.

Specifically, the defendants are accused of mining, manufacturing, selling, supplying, distributing, and using products unreasonably dangerous and known to possess inherent dangerous properties with high potential for injury, failing to warn the plaintiff as to the hazards of their products in their foreseeable use, failing to provide safety instructions to eliminate or reduce risks associated with the products, failure to inspect truthfully or adequately report product testing and medical studies, failure to properly design, producing defective products, and failure to properly package their products. In addition, employers allegedly failed to provide Gagnard with a safe place to work, adequate engineering or industrial hygiene measures to control the level of exposure to asbestos and failure to warn of associated hazards.

Gagnard Jr. filed his asbestos lawsuit against Avondale Industries, Inc., Northrop Grumman Ship Systems Inc., Huntington Ingalls Incorporated, Eagle, Inc., Hopeman Brothers Inc., International Paper Company, Champion International, US Plywood, Liberty Mutual Insurance Company as insurer of Wayne Manufacturing Company, McCarty Corporation, Maryland Casualty Company as insurer of Marquette Insulation Inc., Metropolitan Life Insurance Company, Reilly-Benton Company, Taylor-Seidenbach Inc., Uniroyal Inc., Viacom Inc. as successor to CBS Corporation, Wayne Manufacturing, Albert Bossier, Certain Underwriters at Lloyd’s London, OneBeacon Insurance Company, J.D. Roberts, and James Melton Garrett in the Orleans Parish Civil District Court on July 19.

He is seeking an undisclosed amount for all medical costs or expenses, lost earnings, mental suffering, anguish, pain, and suffering, physical pain and suffering, loss of quality of life and disability. (louisianarecord.com)

 

Tags: Asbestos, asbestos lawsuit, Asbestos Settlement, asbestosis, mesothelioma
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Asbestos News Roundup: 10.3.13 – Safe Asbestos?

October 3rd, 2013. 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.

Is There a Safe Level of Asbestos Exposure?

Earlier this year, as part of National Asbestos Awareness Week, the US Surgeon General, Dr. Regina Benjamin, issued a statement concerning asbestos exposure—and urging Americans to learn about the dangers of asbestos exposure. In short, the message is that there is no safe level of asbestos exposure. The lawsuits listed below bear testament to this fact.

In fact, the statement notes “that anyone who disturbs asbestos is at risk. However, it is of special concern for construction, insulation, and demolition workers, pipefitters, boilermakers and others who might disturb asbestos found in old buildings or equipment as part of their work. The hazard is also very real to home handymen, first-responders, and community volunteers.”

Veterans who served in any of the following occupations may have also been exposed to asbestos: mining, milling, shipyard work, insulation work, demolition of old buildings, carpentry and construction, manufacturing and installation of products such as flooring and roofing.

Additionally, veterans who served in Iraq and other countries in that region could have been exposed to asbestos when older buildings were damaged and the contaminant released into the air.

The Surgeon General’s statement explains that asbestos exposure can happen from activity that disturbs asbestos, making the asbestos fibers airborne. Inhaling these fibers leads to asbestos-related diseases. Three of the major health effects associated with asbestos exposure are lung cancer; mesothelioma, a rare form of cancer that is found in the thin lining of the lungs, chest, abdomen and heart; and asbestosis, a serious progressive, long-term, non-cancer disease of the lungs. Specifically:

Asbestosis – Scarring of lung tissue that causes breathing problems, usually in workers exposed to asbestos in workplaces before the Federal government began regulating asbestos use (mid-1970s).

Pleural plaques – Scarring in the inner surface of the ribcage and area surrounding the lungs that can cause breathing problems, though usually not as serious as asbestosis. People living in areas with high environmental levels of asbestos, as well as workers, can develop pleural plaques.

Cancer – The two types of cancer caused by exposure to asbestos are lung cancer and mesothelioma, a cancer of the thin lining surrounding the lung (pleural membrane) or abdominal cavity (the peritoneum). Mesothelioma is a rare form of cancer usually caused by asbestos exposure.

Asbestos Lawsuits

Erie, PA: 62-year-old Lloyd Baldwin has filed an asbestos lawsuit naming 30 defendants, alleging his asbestos-related lung cancer was caused by asbestos exposure on the job. Baldwin was diagnosed with lung cancer in on January 23, 2012, by doctors at the Cleveland Clinic.

In his lawsuit, Baldwin alleges his asbestos exposure began in the 1960s, while working as a machinist, laborer and deliveryman. As a deliveryman, Baldwin claims he was exposed to asbestos from loading and unloading a variety of asbestos-containing products including shingles and rolled roofing materials. He further claims he was exposed to asbestos dust and fibers while performing home renovations and doing automotive work, and while working as a laborer and machinist, and while working around other people who worked on boilers, pumps and valves.

The asbestos lawsuit states that Baldwin, during the course of his automotive work, was exposed to asbestos while working with brakes, clutches, mufflers and gaskets, and when he came into contact with construction materials such as insulation, drywall, joint compound, caulk, floor tiles, ceiling tiles and paint. According to the lawsuit, Baldwin purchased the asbestos-containing materials and supplies from a variety of lumberyards and retail stores.

The list of defendants includes, but is not limited to, Certainteed Corp., DAP Inc., Ford Motor Co., General Electric, Georgia Pacific, Honeywell International, Owens-Illinois, Pfizer, Sears Roebuck and Co., and Union Carbide Corp. (wvrecord.com)

Philadelphia, PA: The widow of a lung cancer victim is suing three companies that dealt in asbestos, alleging her late husband died as a result of injuries he sustained due to his on the job asbestos exposure.

The asbestos short form complaint was filed by Francesca Cerminara, in her capacity as special administrator of the estate of her late spouse, Francesco Cerminara.

The three defendants named in asbestos lawsuit are Ameron International Corp., Hajoca Corp., and J.A. Sexauer Inc.

According to the lawsuit, Francesco Cerminara died on May 1, 2012, at 81 years old, an apparent victim of asbestos-related mesothelioma. He was diagnosed with asbestos disease in the fall of 2011.

Cerminara had worked as a maintenance man, pipefitter, plumber and welder at Chemical Concentrate in Fort Washington, PA, from 1961 to 1974, and at AmChem in Ambler from 1974 to 1988, according to court documents.

The companies listed as defendants in the case are accused of negligence and strict products liability. The plaintiff seeks an unspecified amount of damages. (pennsylvaniarecord.com)

 

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