Over the past two decades, America’s working class has suffered the impact of exposure to asbestos. Before it was known that asbestos could lead to serious illness and death, people worked around the material without hesitation. Problems with exposure arise due to the fact that the fibers of asbestos, once inhaled, can have a very negative impact on your lungs and body. Those who have been exposed to asbestos can contract mesothelioma, a rare kind of cancer that can develop from the protective lining that covers many of the body’s internal organs. It is an aggressive and deadly kind of cancer that has very little remedy; usually the best type of treatment is the keep the person as comfortable as possible.
Even worse, mesothelioma can have the same symptoms of other diseases, so it can be misdiagnosed very easily and lead to significant delays in treatment. Furthermore, the symptoms of the disease often do not appear right away. Because the impact of exposure may not become obvious for many years after exposure, people have the possibility of being diagnosed with something other than the disease and miss out on sorely needed medical attention. Because the disease manifests itself so late, it can easily go under the radar and get worse before anything can be done to resolve it.
In Louisiana, in the New Orleans Parish Civil District Courthouse, the family members of yet another victim of exposure to asbestos will have their day in court. The deceased, Phillip Graf, was exposed to asbestos for over 30 years and died a long, emotional and painful death. His family members are suing up to 29 different defendants in their lawsuits arising from his untimely and unfortunate death. Among the defendants are organizations that may have directly or indirectly played a critical role in the exposure of asbestos leading to Mr. Graf’s unfortunate passing.
Metropolitan Life was a major defendant named in this suit. In court documents, the claim states that the company is liable because it aided and abetted the negligence and the marketing of unreasonably dangerous asbestos containing products by such manufacturers. These products are claimed to be the ones that were exposed to Mr. Graf containing harmful asbestos. The plaintiffs in the case allege that these actions exhibit a specific type of negligence and lack of care that led to Mr. Graf’s death. Moreover, Benjamin Moore & Co. is listed as the lead defendant. This is because it was the employer of Mr. Graf that exposed him to this harmful asbestos environment that he worked in for years. This case helps illustrate that with matters such as this, a variety of companies both directly and indirectly involved in the exposure can be held accountable for the unfortunate circumstances their actions, or lack thereof, caused.
Losing a member of the family due to a disease is a hard process. However, if you or a loved one feel that you are being exposed to dangerous work environments while on the job, do not hesitate to call an experienced attorney who knows their way around this complex and horrible problem plaguing America’s working class.