Parkersburg couple names 76 defendants for lung cancer diagnosis

CHARLESTON – A Parkersburg man and his wife named 76 companies they claim are responsible for his lung cancer.

On Aug. 3, 2009, Howard Lee Little was diagnosed with lung cancer, according to a complaint filed Jan. 12 in Kanawha Circuit Court.

Little was employed by Corning Glass Works from 1957 until 1994. He claims he smoked from 1955 until 1970, but has not since.

The defendants are being sued upon theories of negligence, contaminated buildings, breach of expressed/implied warranty, strict liability, intentional tort, conspiracy, misrepresentation and post-sale duty to warn, according to the suit.

Little and his wife, Janet L. Little, are seeking a jury trial to resolve all issues involved. They are being represented by Victoria Antion and Bronwyn I. Rinehart.

The case has been assigned to a visiting judge.

The 76 defendants named in the suite are A.O. Smith Corporation; A.W. Chesterton Company; Ajax Magnethermic Corporation; Allied Glove Corporation; Aurora Pump Company; Beazer East, Inc.; Borg-Warner Corporation; Brand Insulations, Inc.; BW IP, Inc.; Caterpillar, Inc.; Certainfeed Corporation; Chevron U.S.A., Inc.; Chicago Pump Company; Cleaver-Brooks Company, Inc.; Crane Co.; Dezurik, Inc.; Dravo Corporation; Eaton Electrical, Inc.; Erie City Iron Works; FB Wright Company; Flowserve FSD Corporation; Flowserve US, Inc.; FMC Corporation; Foster Wheeler Energy Corporation; General Electric Company; General Refractories Company; George V. Hamilton, Inc.; Goulds Pumps; Hercules, Inc.; Honeywell International, Inc.; Honeywell, Inc.; I.U. North America, Inc.; IMO Industries, Inc.; Inductotherm Industries, Inc.; Industrial Holdings Corporation; Ingersoll-Rand Company; Invensys Systems, Inc.; ITT Corporation; J.H. France Refractories Company; Lockheed Martin Corporation; Mcjunkin Corporation; Mobil Corporation; Nagle Pumps, Inc.; Nitro Industrial Coverings, Inc.; Oakfabco, Inc.; Ohio Valley Insulating Company, Inc.; Owens-Illinois, Inc.; Pneumo Abex Corporation; Premiere Refractories, Inc.; Rapid American Corporation; Riley Power, Inc.; Rockwell Automation, Inc.; Roper Pumps Company; Rust Constructors, Inc.; Rust Engineering & Construction, Inc.; the Sager Corporation; Saint-Gobain Abrasives, Inc.; Schneider Electric USA, Inc.; Sterling Fluid Systems (USA), LLC; Stockham Valves & Fittings; Sunbeam Corporation; Superior Boiler Works, Inc.; Surface Combustion, Inc.; Swindell-Dressier International Corporation; Tasco Insulations, Inc.; the Gage Company; Tyco Flow Controls, Inc. a/k/a Crosby Valve, Inc.; Tyco Flow Controls, Inc. a/k/a Kunkle Valves; UB West Virginia, Inc.; United Engineers & Constructors and Washington Group International; Viacom, Inc.; Viking Pump, Inc.; Vimasco Corporation; Warren Pumps, Inc.; Weil-McLain Company; and Zurn Industries, Inc.

Kanawha Circuit Court case number: 11-C-56