A Kentucky woman recently filed a lawsuit against her employer, alleging that she was exposed to asbestos at work and developed malignant mesothelioma as a result.

The plaintiff, Linda P., says she was employed by the company Cutler Hammer from 1973 to 1996. During the course of her employment, Linda worked in a variety of departments, including the plastic grinding area, which was close to the molding department. Linda alleges that she regularly worked with and around products that contained asbestos, such as phenolic molding compounds and talc from Plastic Engineering Company.

Linda’s husband, Leonard, also worked for Cutler Hammer, working directly with asbestos containing products, further exposing Linda indirectly to the dangerous material, the lawsuit claims.

Unfortunately, Linda was diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma, a cancer associated with exposure to asbestos, in March 2018. According to Linda’s lawsuit, her malignant mesothelioma diagnosis was a direct result of her direct and indirect exposure to asbestos products while working for Cutler Hammer.

Linda alleges that Plastic Engineering Company (also known as PLENCO) knew about the risk of cancer associated with asbestos-containing products, but failed to warn or protect against these risks, leading to Linda’s exposure and subsequent malignant mesothelioma diagnosis.

Linda filed her malignant mesothelioma lawsuit on March 30, 2018 in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Kentucky. The lawsuit was filed on multiple counts, including failure to warn, design defect, negligence, and misrepresentation/conspiracy to defraud, among others. Linda’s husband Leonard also filed on one count of loss of spousal consortium.

Background of Asbestos

Asbestos is a naturally-occurring mineral that used to be popular for commercial purposes such as electrical or building insulation, as well as countless others. However, the material is now known to be hazardous, and regulations regarding the use of asbestos have been in place for decades. Asbestos exposure can cause several serious health problems, including mesothelioma cancer.

In many cases, malignant mesothelioma can take decades for symptoms to appear, so it is often diagnosed when it has reached its later and more dangerous stage of development. Even though the use of asbestos has been heavily regulated in the last few decades, this delay means that those exposed to asbestos decades ago are only now being diagnosed with life-threatening cancer.

Filing a Malignant Mesothelioma Lawsuit

If you or someone you love has been diagnosed with or died from an asbestos-related disease like mesothelioma cancer after occupational asbestos exposure, you may be able to file a mesothelioma lawsuit. Spouses of those affected may also be able to file over loss of consortium.

While filing a lawsuit over malignant mesothelioma diagnosis cannot take away the pain and suffering caused by the disease, or bring a loved one back to life, but it can help to alleviate the financial burden incurred by medical bills and lost wages.

The Malignant Mesothelioma Lawsuit is Case No. 1:18-cv-00038-GNS, in the U.S. District Court for the Bowling Green Division of the Western District of Kentucky.