A couple has filed an asbestos lung cancer lawsuit after the husband’s recent diagnosis with the disease.

Plaintiff Gary B. worked at Ford Motor Co. in Michigan from 1965 to 1998. He says on May 2, 2018, he was diagnosed with lung cancer related to working with asbestos all those years at the Ford plant.

Gary’s asbestos lung cancer lawsuit against Crown, Cork & Seal USA Co., et al. alleges Gary worked with and around products that contained asbestos fibers that the companies knew were toxic but failed to share adequate warnings or proper handling instructions with employees.

As a result, Gary and his wife declare that his cancer was wrongfully caused. They are seeking a jury trial and compensatory damages of a minimum of $50,000, costs and any other relief the court finds just and equitable.

Familiar Allegations in Asbestos Lung Cancer Lawsuit

When asbestos fibers are inhaled, there are usually no immediate effects. Asbestos fibers dig in to the deep tissue of the lungs where they irritate and cause inflammation for years. Lung cancer can take anywhere from 10 to 50 years to develop after initial inhalation of the fibers.

Many companies allegedly took advantage of the long window of time by believing they would not be held accountable decades later. In fact, researchers anticipate the largest number of asbestos cancer diagnoses will occur through 2020 in the United States. The heightened curve of cases began in 2015.

Hundreds of businesses now face asbestos lung cancer lawsuits and class action lawsuits filed by former employees who are now paying the price for the negligence demonstrated by the companies.

In one recent case, a jury determined two men who were diagnosed with cancer after working with asbestos for years as electricians for Crane Co. deserved to receive a $25 million award.

Several corporations that mined asbestos or used asbestos-based materials in shipyards, auto repair shops, paper mills, and other hands-on manufacturing/repair places are accused of placing their own profits ahead of their employees’ health.

In November 2018, the U.S. Department of Justice said more than 60 trust funds with a combined total of $30 billion remain available to compensate victims suffering from asbestos-related maladies and the victims’ families.

When faced with an asbestos lung cancer lawsuit, some companies try to find another reason to blame for the former employee’s cancer. If the ill plaintiff was a smoker, the company undoubtedly tries to hold the former employee accountable for the lung cancer diagnosis because of the history of smoking cigarettes.

Studies have shown that the combination of smoking and of asbestos exposure is a more deadly recipe than either of the adverse activities on its own. People who smoke and suffer asbestos exposure have their risk of lung cancer magnified multiple times.

It’s no wonder lung cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in the United States. Almost 200,000 Americans are diagnosed with lung cancer each year, and more die from it than from any other kind of cancer, says the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. More than 4,800 lung cancer deaths annually are due to asbestos exposure.