Mesothelioma Law Blog

According to recent reports, Merlin Olsen, who once played for the Los Angeles Rams, and worked as a sportscaster and actor on NBC, recently filed a mesothelioma lawsuits against his former employers. After being diagnosed with mesothelioma, a cancer caused by exposure to asbestos, he decided to take action for the wrongful exposure he believes victimized him.

The lawsuit, which was filed on December 31, 2009 in Los Angeles County Superior Court, claims that throughout his life and career he was exposed to the hazardous substance known as asbestos. The lawsuit names NBC, NBC Universal, and 20th Century Fox Corporation as defendants in the asbestos-related lawsuit. Olsen states that it was during his time employed with these companies that he was exposed to asbestos, which caused the fatal illness he has been diagnosed with.

Asbestos Claims

In the lawsuit Olsen claims that each of the defendants played a crucial role in his mesothelioma diagnosis. The suit that, “the defendants were engaged in the business of manufacturing, fabricating, designing, assembling, distributing, leasing, buying, selling, inspecting, marketing, and advertising a certain substance, the generic name of which is asbestos.”

For decades asbestos has been used in the construction and manufacturing of certain industries. However, in recent years its use has been minimized due to research linking it to mesothelioma and other fatal illnesses and harmful health conditions. No cure has been found for mesothelioma, though treatments are available to help ease the symptoms associated with the disease.

Olsen is now undergoing chemotherapy for his mesothelioma and has filed the lawsuit with his wife for an unspecified amount.

An asbestos-related lawsuit was recently filed against several companies by a former electrician who claimed he developed mesothelioma due to asbestos exposure. Among the defendants that were named in the mesothelioma lawsuit were Scapa Dryer Fabrics, Inc. and AstenJohnson. The plaintiffs in the suit, Henry and Geraldine Barabin, were awarded $10.2 million.

 According to the lawsuit the defendants used asbestos in their products and exposed their employees to the toxic substance. Henry Barabin was employed with the companies named as defendants from 1964 to 2001. His first job required him to work at the Texaco Refinery in Port Arthur, Texas for four years. After that he reportedly worked at the Crown Zellerbach paper mill in Camas, Washington.

 Lawsuit Blames Illness on Asbestos Exposure

Barabin claims he was exposed to asbestos fibers that were released from asbestos-containing dryer fabrics and cleanup operations. While employed with the companies he was required to out the paper machine’s dryer fabrics while performing maintenance duties and during shutdown periods.

Barabin’s alleged in the asbestos lawsuit that the dryer fabrics were not designed right and didn’t include warnings about the potential of asbestos exposure or the risks involved in handing products containing the substance. As a result of his exposure to asbestos fibers, Mr. Barabin received a mesothelioma diagnoses three years ago.

Mesothelioma is a particularly harmful disease since researchers have not yet found a cure for the deadly illness. After receiving a mesothelioma diagnosis, most patients enter clinical trials to help fight off the rare cancer. However, the average prognosis for mesothelioma is only between four and 18 months.

The Barabins received $8 million in the lawsuit for non-economic damages for their pain and suffering. In addition, Mrs. Barabin received another $1.5 million for the potential loss she may endure any day. The couple was awarded $700,000 for their medical expenses, lost income and any household services they have needed and will need in the future.

A man from Tennessee recently filed a mesothelioma lawsuit against Du Pont along with 20 other companies for the death of his mother. The man believes that his mother’s sudden death from mesothelioma was due to secondhand asbestos exposure. The man’s father was reportedly employed at Du Pont and the plaintiff believes it was due to the asbestos fibers carried home on his clothing

Roger Neely claims in the asbestos-related lawsuit that his mother, Ruby, died from mesothelioma earlier this year due to his father’s exposure to asbestos while at work. Neely states that Du Pont, and the other companies named in the suit, failed to warn her father about the danger of working with and around asbestos and as a result the asbestos was brought home on his clothing without his knowledge of any risks.

Asbestos Lawsuit Claims Secondhand Exposure

The plaintiff’s father, Lively Neely, was reportedly employed at the DuPont Plant in Old Hickory, Tennessee for nearly 20 years. During his career at the plant, Neely was reportedly unknowingly exposed to asbestos. When he returned from work Ruby supposedly handled his clothing, which is how the secondhand exposure occurred. 

The lawsuit claims that DuPont and the contractors that worked w the plant knew about the risks linked to asbestos but failed to warn their workers or give them protection to prevent asbestos exposure.

Lively Neely’s life also taken by an asbestos-related illness in 1980.

A woman who reportedly developed mesothelioma due to washing her grandfather’s clothing when she was growing up has been awarded $20 million. As a result of washing her grandfather’s clothing, which was infested with asbestos since he was an insulation worker, the woman developed mesothelioma.

The mesothelioma lawsuit was filed by Jocelyn Farrar, 57, who works as a nursing professor at University of Maryland. Farrar claimed in the lawsuit that she developed mesothelioma, which is a fatal form of cancer due to second-hand asbestos exposure. Her grandfather reportedly carried the asbestos fibers home on his clothing that she washed each day.

Plaintiff’s Grandfather Victim of Workplace Exposure

John Hentgen, Farrar’s grandfather, worked with asbestos-laden insulation from Georgia Pacific Corp. during the late 60s. More than 40 years later, Farrar was diagnosed with mesothelioma and argued that the insulation manufacturer was responsible for her unexpected illness. As a result of her mesothelioma part of her lung had to be removed.

Just last week, a Baltimore City Circuit Court jury awarded Farrar $20,272,000, citing that Georgia Pacific was responsible for cancer. The award includes $18.5 million for non-economic damages, $1.6 million for lost wages and earning capacity, $97,000 for past medical expenses, and $75,000 for future medical costs she will be forced to pay for treatments.