Illinois Couple Taking on a Host of Defendants in Asbestosis Lawsuit

Belleville, ILSince Lee Sturdivant was diagnosed with asbestosis lung cancer in early 2013, he and his wife Betty have proven not to be shy about pursuing an asbestosis lawsuit in the courts of law. To that end, the Sturdivants are taking to task no fewer than 70 firms, together with insurance juggernaut Metropolitan Life, in their asbestosis disease claim.

According to the Madison County Record (1/11/16), Lee Sturdivant spent five years in the US Army, beginning in 1971. Following his exit from the service in 1976, Sturdivant toiled for various companies and engaged in various occupations until 1984. His asbestosis claim, filed with the help of his asbestosis attorney, alleges that he was exposed to, inhaled, ingested or absorbed asbestos during that time.

The timing of his diagnosis fits with the incubation profile of asbestos. The ingestion of free-floating asbestos fibers and/or dust can lodge in the lung and remain in a dormant state for as long as 30 years or more before emerging as asbestosis disease, asbestos cancer or mesothelioma.

The co-plaintiffs are accusing the various defendants of maintaining an unsafe work environment and allowing Sturdivant to inhale and ingest asbestos without protection. The lawsuit also accuses Metropolitan Life Insurance Company (MetLife) of conspiring to discredit and terminate the studies and experiments of scientists who were developing data about the dangers of asbestos.

The plaintiffs allege in their asbestosis compensation claim that MetLife went so far as to suppress publication of information about the dangers of asbestos in publications such as Asbestos Magazine, identified in the asbestos lawsuit as a source of information for the public and the industry, including the plaintiff.

Amongst the defendants in the asbestosis lung cancer lawsuit are Borg-Warner Morse LLC, Cooper Crouse-Hinds LLC, Dow Chemical Company, Honeywell International Inc. and Sherwin-Williams Company.

The plaintiffs are seeking not less than $50,000 in compensation from each of the defendants and allege negligence, amongst other claims. Betty Sturdivant alleges a lack of consortium from her husband, due to his illness.

Once asbestosis pleural plaques emerge and take hold, long-term survivability is extremely low. The asbestosis exposure lawsuit was filed October 29 in St. Clair County Circuit Court, Case No. 15-L-618.

The Sturdivants hail from Illinois.