New Asbestos Lawsuit Filed in Madison County, Illinois

A man diagnosed with mesothelioma has filed an asbestos-related lawsuit in Madison County Circuit Court in Illinois.

Raymond Hostert filed the lawsuit on July 23. Hostert says he was employed as a drill press operator, machine operator, truck driver and mechanic between 1952 and 1999 in several different locations throughout Illinois, and at some point was exposed to asbestos. He has filed suit against a total of 79 defendant companies, claiming his disease was wrongfully caused.

Among the 79 defendants are Bondex International, CBS, Chrysler, Federal-Mogul Asbestos Personal Trust, Ford Motor Company, General Electric, General Motors, Goodyear, Honeywell International, Ingersoll-Rand, International Paper, John Crane, MetLife, Monsanto, Pfizer, Philips Electronics and Trane US.

Raymond Hostert claims that at some point during his employment history, or during home or automotive repairs, he was exposed to airborne asbestos fibers being emitted by products he was working with or around. Inhalation of the fibers caused him to develop mesothelioma decades after the exposure.

According to Hostert’s lawsuit the defendants either knew or should have known of the dangers associated with asbestos exposure. The suit claims that his exposure was foreseeable and should have been anticipated by the defendants.

Raymond Hostert’s lawsuit also claims the defendants continued to use asbestos in their products even though adequate substitutes for asbestos were available and could be used. The lawsuit also claims that the defendants failed to provide warnings about asbestos exposure, or any instructions on how to work safely with their asbestos-containing products to prevent exposure from occurring.

As a result, Dennett alleges, he unknowingly continued to work with and around asbestos unaware he was being exposed to a dangerous substance, and without taking any safety precautions.

Due to the alleged negligence of the named defendants, Dennett claims he developed mesothelioma as a direct result of the asbestos exposure.

Dennett is seeking damages to help pay for medical expenses, as well as compensation for physical and mental pain and suffering, lost income, and lost earning capacity. He asks for at least $400,000 in compensatory damages. In addition his lawsuit seeks punitive damages to punish the defendants for “willful, wanton, intentional and reckless” behavior.

This entry was posted on Monday, August 11th, 2008 at 6:11 pm and is filed under Asbestos Exposure, Asbestos Litigation, Illinois. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS feed. Responses are currently closed, but you trackback from your own site.