A married couple has recently filed a lawsuit in Connecticut after the husband allegedly received a mesothelioma diagnosis secondary to his occupational exposure he experienced as an electrician. The legal complaint was registered on Nov. 5, 2018, and names the CBS Corporation, Viacom Inc. and Westinghouse Electric Co., as well as Foster Wheeler LLC and General Electric Company as defendants.

The plaintiffs, Wayne R. and Elizabeth B., are currently citizens of the State of Florida and both reside in Palm Harbor. Wayne alleges that his mesothelioma diagnosis was a direct consequence of exposure to asbestos-containing products he handled while carrying out his duties for his employer at various job sites.

According to the narrative of the lawsuit, some of those job sites included Quincy Fore River Shipyard, Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station, and Brayton Point Powerhouse. The years of Wayne’s employment where exposure occurred were from 1965 to 1979.

During this 14-year period, Wayne claims he was made to inhale and ingest asbestos fibers, leading to his mesothelioma diagnosis a number of years later. The defendants as named were, according to him, wholly responsible for mining the asbestos that was a part of the products they designed, manufactured, promoted, and distributed.

The lawsuit alleges that the defendants had data available “at their fingertips” regarding the hazardous health properties of asbestos-containing products as early as 1929. Subsequent studies produced additional data over the next four decades that Wayne says the defendants must have known about.

Despite access to this burgeoning knowledge, these companies allegedly continued to contract for the mining of asbestos to produce their products and foist them on workers like Wayne without warning of known dangers.

Wayne says that they had a responsibility to provide guidelines for safe handling as well as safety gear such as respirators. In choosing not to do so, they directly caused the exposure which led to asbestosis—an asbestos disease that is a precursor to the later mesothelioma diagnosis which Wayne received.

Wayne and his wife bring the following causes of action against the defendants: Strict Liability, Negligence, Failure to Warn, Breach of Warranty, Loss of Consortium, and Recklessness.

The couple are seeking a trial by jury finding the defendants for Wayne’s mesothelioma diagnosis. The plaintiffs say they seek fair compensation for their suffering as well as interests and all attorney and court costs incurred.

The Difficulty with Latent Mesothelioma

The problem with exposure to asbestos fibers is that they can remain in the body for up to four decades after inhalation or ingestion. The irritation of the embedded fibers slowly builds and can cause genetic mutation and the development of a significant tumor.

There are other diseases such as lung cancer that can result, as well as mesothelioma. This is a specialized cancer that attacks the lining of the lungs, abdomen, heart, and testes. Once discovered, it is often so advanced that treatment is very difficult.

This Mesothelioma Lawsuit is Case No. 3:18-cv-01974-AWT in the Superior Court of Connecticut.