Pittsburgh attorney files three asbestos cases

CHARLESTON - An attorney at Goldberg, Persky and White in Pittsburgh filed three asbestos lawsuits in Kanawha Circuit Court last week.

David Chervenick filed cases on behalf of Linda and Glenn Scatlin, James and Clara Costantini and Tom and Ruth Winski. The Costantinis' and Winskis' cases were filed together against the same 101 defendants.

The Scantlins', though, was filed separately on June 5. It names 88 defendants and says Linda Scatlin, of Ripley, has been subjected to years of asbestos exposure, though she has never worked with it.

The lawsuit says Linda, 54, was exposed to asbestos-containing dust that was contained on the clothing of her father Glenn Casto and her husband. Both worked at FMC Corp. in Nitro and Bayer Cropscience in Institute.

Linda says she now has asbestosis and mesothelioma.

Of the 88 defendants, the following seven are West Virginia-based companies: A&I Co. of Charleston; Columbia Paint Corp. of Huntington; McJunkin Corp. of Charleston; Pfaff and Smith Builders Supply Co. of Charleston; Poor Charlie and Co. of Charleston; UB West Virginia, Inc. of Nitro; and Vimasco Corp. of Nitro.

The Scatlins are seeking compensatory and punitive damage. Glenn is suing for loss of consortium.

The Costantinis and Winskis filed their suits together June 6.

James Costantini, of Steubenville, Ohio, and Tom Winski, of Irondale, Ohio, both were members of the Local 1190 of the United Steelworkers of America.

Costantini, 81, and Winski, 66, both say they have asbestosis and mesothelioma. Their wives are suing for loss of consortium.

"The plaintiffs, while employed in their various occupations, were exposed to and did inhale asbestos dust and other dust from products of the defendants, which caused the conditions hereinafter set forth, resulting in disability," the complaint says. "Each plaintiff's exposures occurred at various places located in the State of West Virginia, as well as exposures elsewhere."

A visiting judge will be assigned each case.

Kanawha Circuit Court case numbers 06-C-1067 and 06-C-1077-1078