18 people sue 147 companies in separate asbestos suits

CHARLESTON -- Eighteen people are suing 147 companies they claim are responsible for their asbestos-related health problems.

The plaintiffs, Ermel L. Deulley and Elneta J. Deulley; Carl E. Douglas and Karen L. Douglas; Dolores A. Frazier, executrix of the Estate of William P. Frazier; Marian J. Koller, executrix of the Estate of George J. Koller; Edward D. Leasure Jr., executor of the Estate of Edward D. Leasure Sr.; Cindy Zajac, executrix of the Estate of Lester F. Mackey; Patricia A. Naegele, executrix of the Estate of David C. Naegele Sr.; Franklin D. Pennington and Jennie S. Pennington; Leroy Slappy Jr. and Ruth Slappy; Harold Thomas and Sharon Thomas; Dorothy Jean Vincenti, executrix of the Estate of Thomas G. Vincenti; Michael A. Wadas II, executor of the Estate of Michael A. Wadas; and Doris Wells, administratrix of the Estate of Harry F. Wells, are claiming the 147 defendants are responsible for their lung injuries, according to 14 complaints filed Aug. 11 in Kanawha Circuit Court.

The plaintiffs claim the defendants exposed them to and/or caused them to inhale asbestos dust and other dust from products. They claim the exposure it was caused their lung injuries.

The defendants failed to warn the plaintiffs of the dangers of the products when they knew or should have known that exposure to the asbestos-containing products would cause disease and injury; failed to take reasonable precautions to warn the plaintiffs of the dangers of asbestos exposure; failed to exercise reasonable care to warn the plaintiffs; failed to inform the plaintiffs of what would be safe and sufficient work apparel; and failed to remove the asbestos-containing products, according to the suits.

The plaintiffs are seeking jury trials to resolve all issues involved in their cases. They are being represented by David P. Chervenick, Bruce E. Mattock, Lee W. Davis and Scott S. Segal.

The defendants in the suits are 20th Century Glove Corporation of Texas; A.O. Smith Corporation; Ajax Magnethermic Corporation; Alliance Machine Company; Allied Glove Corporation; Allis-Chalmers Corporation Product Liability Trust; American Optical Corporation; Anderson Greenwood & Co.; Andritz, Inc.; Aristech Chemical Corporation; Armstrong International, Inc.; Ashland, Inc.; Atlas Industries, Inc.; Aurora Pump Company; Baltimore Aircoil Company, Inc.; Bayer Corporation; Bayer Cropscience; Beazer East, Inc.; Bechtel Corporation; Borg-Warner Corporation; Brand Insulations, Inc.; Buffalo Pumps, Inc.; Burnham Holdings, Inc.; Cameron International Corporation; Cashco, Inc.; Catalytic Construction Company; CBS Corporation, Formerly Viacom, Inc.; Certainteed Corporation; Cleaver-Brooks, Inc.; Columbia Paint Corp.; Columbian Chemicals Company; Cooper Industries, Inc.; Copes-Vulcan, Inc.; Coppus Turbines; Crane Company, Inc.; Crown, Cork & Seal Company (USA), Inc.; Dana Corporation; Degussa Corporation; Dow Chemical Company; Dravo Corporation; E.I. Du Pont De Nemours & Company; Eaton Corporation; Eichleay Corporation; F.B. Wright Company; the Fairbanks Company; Fairmont Supply Company; Famous Furnace & Supply Co.; Fisher Controls International, LLC; Flsmidth Dorr-Oliver Eimco, Inc.; Flowserve U.S., Inc. and its Byron Jackson Pump Division; Flowserve US, Inc., Flowserve U.S. Inc., as successor to Durco International and the Duriron Company; Flowserve U.S. Inc., as successor to Valtek International; Fluor Constructors International; FMC Corporation; Foseco, Inc.; Foster Wheeler, L.L.C.; the Gage Company; Gardner Denver, Inc.; General Electric Company; General Refractories Company; Gentex Corporation; George V. Hamilton, Inc.; the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company; Goulds Pumps, Inc.; Greene Tweed & Co.; Grinnell Corporation; Hedman Mines, Ltd.; Henry Vogt Machine Co.; Hills-Mccanna, LLC; Hinchliffe & Keener, Inc.; Honeywell, Inc.; Honeywell International, Inc.; Howden Buffalo, Inc.; Huntington Alloys Corporation; I U North America, Inc.; IMO Industries, Inc.; Industrial Holdings Corporation; Ingersoll-Rand Company; Insul Company, Inc.; International Systems and Controls Corporation; ITT Corporation; J.H. France Refractories Company; Jacobs Engineering Group, Inc.; John Crane, Inc.; Joy Technologies, Inc.; Lockheed Martin Corporation; M.S. Jacobs & Associates, Inc.; Magnetek, Inc.; Mallinckrodt, Inc.; Manitowoc Company, Inc.; McJunkin Redman Corporation; Meadwestvaco Corporation; Metropolitan Life Insurance Company; Monongahela Power Company; Morgan Engineering Systems, Inc.; Mueller Steam Specialty; Nagle Pumps, Inc.; National Services Industries, Inc.; Nitro Industrial Coverings, Inc.; NI Industries, Inc. F/K/A National Lead Company; Norwalk Compressor Company; O.C. Keckley Company; Oglebay Norton Company; Owens-Illinois, Inc.; P&H Mining Equipment, Inc.; Parker-Hannifin Corp.; Peerless Industries, Inc.; Pennzoil-Quaker State Company; Power Piping Company; Premiere Refractories, Inc.; Reading Crane; Rhone-Poulenc AG Company, Inc.; Riley Power, Inc.; Rockwell Automation, Inc.; Roper Pump Company; Rust Constructors, Inc.; Rust Engineering & Construction, Inc.; Safety First Industries, Inc.; the Sager Corporation; Saint-Gobain Abrasives, Inc.; Schneider Electric USA, Inc.; Shell Oil Company; S.F. Americas, Inc.; Spirax Sarco, Inc.; SPX Cooling Technologies, Inc.; Sterling Fluid Systems (USA), LLC; Sundyne Corporation; SVI Corporation; Tasco Insulation, Inc.; Townsend & Bottum, Inc.; Trane U.S., Inc.; UB West Virginia, Inc.; Unifrax Corporation; Union Carbide Corporation; United Conveyor Corporation; United States Steel Corporation; Universal Refractories Corporation; Viacom Inc.; Viking Pump, Inc.; Vimasco Corporation; Warren Pumps, Inc.; Washington Group International; Waste Management, Inc.; Watson McDaniel Company; Weil-Mclain Company; Weir Hazleton, Inc.; West Penn Power Company; Westinghouse Airbrake and/or Wabco Wheeling Rubber Products, Inc.; Whiting Corporation; Wilden Pump & Engineering, LLC; the William Powell Company; Wyeth Holdings Corporation; Yarway Corporation; the Young Group, Ltd.; and Zurn Industries, Inc.

The cases have been assigned to a visiting judge.

Kanawha Circuit Court case numbers: 10-C-1428, 10-C-1429, 10-C-1430, 10-C-1431, 10-C-1432, 10-C-1433, 10-C-1434, 10-C-1435, 10-C-1436, 10-C-1437, 10-C-1437, 10-C-1438, 10-C-1439, 10-C-1440