A California man filed an asbestos lung cancer lawsuit against a number of companies, alleging that they played a role in the asbestos exposure that led to him developing asbestos lung cancer.

According to Robert Wade’s asbestos lung cancer lawsuit filed on August 25, a major source of his exposure was working at Naval shipyards, as well as the ancestral company to CBS. His lawsuit alleges that in the course of his work, he was required to work with asbestos, resulting in his asbestos lung cancer.

However, Wade’s asbestos lawsuit not only names his former employers as defendants, but also several companies involved in the manufacture, sale, and mining of asbestos. His asbestos lung cancer lawsuit holds that these actions made these companies liable for his asbestos lung cancer.

Wade’s lawsuit alleges that the companies that employed asbestos, or were involved in its manufacturing, were aware—or reasonably should have been aware of the serious risk of asbestos lung cancer, or mesothelioma, linked to the mineral. The asbestos lung cancer lawsuit further alleges that these companies actively conspired to conceal this risk, and Wade could not have reasonably known about the link between his illness and asbestos until decades later.

Wade’s lawsuit seeks to recoup the cost of medical care, legal fees, and other costs related to his asbestos lung cancer diagnosis. Asbestos lawsuits in the past have resulted in multi-million dollar awards for single plaintiffs. Many large corporations involved in asbestos have created massive trust funds to pay out asbestos lung cancer claims, and other lawsuits related to asbestos exposure.

History of Asbestos

Asbestos is a naturally-occurring mineral that came into widespread use during the Industrial Revolution, since the material was very useful for a variety of applications. Asbestos was both fireproof and extremely heat-resistant under industrial conditions, leading to its deployment as an insulator and use in high-temperature applications. U.S. Naval yards, particularly those associated with building World War II-era vessels, often employed asbestos as a fireproof insulator, as did construction sites.

However, as early as a century ago, medical researchers began to realize that there was a correlation between asbestos exposure and various occupational diseases. Asbestos exposure is most tightly linked to lung diseases, like asbestos lung cancer and asbestosis, a disease similar to emphysema or COPD.

As these concerns were confirmed, the United States and other nations gradually phased out and banned asbestos, culminating in the 1980s. However, since asbestos lung cancer takes decades to manifest and the material is a part of many existing buildings, lawsuits like Wade’s are still working their way through the court system.

The Asbestos Lung Cancer Lawsuit is Robert Wade v. General Electric Company, et al., Case No. 3:14-cv-03912-VC, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, San Francisco Division.