Dependent girlfriend sues company for boyfriend's death

CHARLESTON – A woman is suing a local company and one of its managers in a civil lawsuit stemming from the work-related death of her boyfriend.

Miranda Stamper has filed suit against Onyx Industrial Services Inc. and Greg Slack in Kanawha Circuit Court. In the suit, Stamper says Jamie Harris died on March 12, 2004, while attempting to vacuum ash on his job with Onyx.

Onyx does high-pressure washing and vacuuming and cleaning services, primarily for chemical companies. It does business in both Kanawha and Putnam counties.

In the suit, Stamper says Slack was a manager at Onyx and responsible for the safety of Harris.

She says she and Harris lived together and had joint assets and accounts. Stamper was attending college at the time of Harris’ death and was dependent on him.

In the suit, filed by J. Michael Ranson and Cynthia M. Ranson of the Ranson Law Offices, Stamper seeks compensatory, general and punitive damages to be determined by a jury or the court plus fees and other relief.

Kanawha Circuit Court case number: 05-C-2595