A grieving husband and daughter recently filed a lawsuit against Honda, alleging that automotive asbestos exposure killed their late wife and mother.

Plaintiffs William B. and Kim W. recently filed a lawsuit against American Honda Motor Co. Inc., alleging that automotive asbestos exposure while working for Honda caused Beverly W., William’s late wife, and Kim’s late mother, to die from an asbestos-related injury.

The complaint says that from 1976 to 2014, Beverly was the owner and employee of Honda of Tupelo, in Tupelo, Miss. During her work, Beverly allegedly experienced automotive asbestos exposure to the toxic material being used in Honda’s brakes, clutches, and gaskets.

In September 2015, Beverly was diagnosed with mesothelioma, which her family believes to be related to her automotive asbestos exposure. After suffering from her condition, Beverly died in November 2015. William and Kim claim that Beverly’s mesothelioma death was directly caused by her automotive asbestos exposure.

Mesothelioma is the cancer of lining in the lungs, heart, or abdomen. The aggressive disease is very rare and often linked to asbestos exposure.

The family seeks to hold Honda accountable for Beverly’s automotive asbestos exposure, alleging that the company could have foreseen her exposure and its consequences.

“[Beverly’s] exposure to and inhalation, ingestion, or absorption of asbestos fiber emanating from the use of the above-mentioned products was completely foreseeable and could or should have been anticipated by the Defendant,” the automotive asbestos exposure lawsuit claims.

The lawsuit also claims that Honda knew about the risks associated with automotive asbestos exposure but continued to use the hazardous material in their products. Numerous medical studies show the adverse effects of asbestos exposure, but Honda allegedly concealed this evidence to avoid liability for automotive asbestos exposure.

“Defendant Honda, individually and as agents of one another and co-conspirators, aided, abetted, encouraged, counseled, assisted, agreed and conspired among themselves with other asbestos manufacturers and distributors to injure [Beverly],” the automotive asbestos exposure lawsuit claims.

Asbestos has long been known to cause a variety of health issues for years, leading to strict restrictions of its use in the US. When asbestos-containing products are moved or disturbed, they can release tiny asbestos fibers. Once these asbestos fibers are in the air, they can be inhaled or ingested where they become difficult for the body to remove. These fibers can cause chronic inflammation, increasing the chance for cell mutation and the development of cancers.

Many plaintiffs have filed lawsuits against manufacturers, distributors, and former employers, alleging that the companies should be held accountable for using asbestos in their products as it caused countless individuals to be exposed to the dangerous material.

William and Kim accuse Honda of strict liability, negligence, breach of warranties, fraudulent concealment, and loss of consortium. The automotive asbestos exposure lawsuit seeks compensatory damages, punitive damages, court costs, and attorneys’ fees.

The Automotive Asbestos Exposure Lawsuit is Case No. 1:18-cv-00175-GHD-DAS in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Mississippi.