Madison County, Illinois – The estate of a deceased Ohio man has filed an asbestos-related lawsuit in Madison County Circuit Court in Illinois, claiming wrongful death.

The man was Paul Bowen, who was diagnosed with mesothelioma on October 8, 2007, and died on December 31.

According to the complaint laid by Bowen’s estate, he worked between 1951 and 2004 as a laborer, kiln operator, truck driver, miner, and mechanic. In addition, the complaint refers to Bowen’s wife, who was employed as a maintenance worker, finisher and stripe, and machine operator.

The complaint says that during the court of her employment, Bowen’s wife often worked with and around asbestos and asbestos-containing materials. The dust that was generated as a result permeated her clothing, and she would then transport the dust home on her work clothes. At home, the dust would become airborne, where Paul Bowen was able to inhale it. According to the complaint, “The plaintiff would be repeatedly exposed to this asbestos dust from his wife’s person and clothing.”

In addition, the complaint says that Paul Bowen was repeatedly exposed to asbestos during home projects such as automotive and home repairs, remodeling, and maintenance work.

The lawsuit names a total of 73 defendants, including Bondex International, CBS, ConocoPhillips, Ford Motor Company, General Motors, Goodyear, John Crane, Owens-Illinois, Pharmacia, Shell Chemical and Yarway Corp.

The complaint said that the inhalation of asbestos was foreseeable and should have been anticipated by the defendants. Further, the complaint says that the defendants knew or should have known about the dangers of asbestos, and should have warned employees or users of their products that the danger existed.

The complaint also says the defendants failed to warn employees that asbestos fibers could be transported home. In addition, the complaint says that the defendants used asbestos in their products even when substitutes existed. Paul Bowen’s estate also claims that he had sought full disclosure of documents relevant to his case, but believed that the defendants had destroyed the documents.

The suit alleges not only that Paul Bowen suffered needless asbestos exposure due to defendant negligence, but also that his ability to claim compensation had been reduced due to actions taken by the defendants.

The estate is seeking a minimum of $250,000 in compensation, as well as punitive damages.

This entry was posted on Monday, May 19th, 2008 at 9:27 am and is filed under Asbestos Exposure, Illinois. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS feed. Responses are currently closed, but you trackback from your own site.