Hacker Valley man names 69 defendants in asbestos case

CHARLESTON -- A Hacker Valley man is suing 69 companies he claims are responsible for his mesothelioma diagnosis.

Danny L. Coombs was diagnosed with mesothelioma on Oct. 25, 2011, according to a complaint filed Jan. 12 in Kanawha Circuit Court.

Coombs claims he was exposed to asbestos during his career from the 1950s until 1977.

The defendants failed to warn Coombs of the dangers of asbestos and failed to protect him from asbestos, according to the suit.

The 69 defendants are being sued based on 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.

Coombs is seeking a jury trial to resolve all issues involved. He is being represented by Victoria L. Antion, Scott A. McGee and Bronwyn I. Rinehart.

The case has been assigned to a visiting judge.

The 69 defendants named in the suit are 3M Company; A.O. Smith Corporation; A.W. Chesterton Company; Ajax Magnethermic Corporation; Allied Glove Corporation; Aurora Pump Company; Borg-Warner Corporation; Burlington Industries, Inc.; Carrier Corporation; Catalytic Construction Company; Certainteed Corporation; Cleaver-Brooks Company, Inc.; Crane Company; Dravo Corporation; Eaton Electrical, Inc.; Erie City Iron Works; Flowserve US, Inc.; FMC Corporation; Ford Motor Company; Foster Wheeler Energy Corporation; General Electric Company, Inc.; Genuine Parts Company; Goulds Pumps, Inc.; Greene Tweed & Company; Grinnell, LLC; Hercules, Inc.; Hinchcliff Products Company; Honeywell International; Honeywell, Inc.; IMO Industries, Inc.; Industrial Holdings Corporation; Ingersoll-Rand Company; ITT Corporation; Keisey-Hayes Company; Lockheed Martin Corporation; Maremont Corporation; McJunkin Corporation; Metropolitan Life Insurance Company; Modern Tool & Die Company; Nagle Pumps; Nitro Industrial Coverings, Inc.; Oakfabco, Inc.; Ohio Valley Insulating Company, Inc.; Owens-Illnois, Inc.; Pneumo Abex Corp.; Premiere Refractories, Inc.; Rapid American Corporation; Riley Power, Inc.; Rust Constructors, Inc.; Rust Engineering & Construction, Inc.; Rust International, Inc.; Sager Corporation; Schneider Electric USA, Inc.; Sterling Fluid Systems (USA) LLC; Sunbeam Corporation; Surface Combustion, Inc.; Swindell Dressier International Corporation; Tasco Insulations, Inc.; The William Powell Company; Trumbull Asphalt; UB West Virginia, Inc.; Uniroyal, Inc.; United Conveyor Corporation; URS Energy & Construction, Inc.; Vermont American Corporation; Viacom, Inc.; Vimasco Corporation; Yarway Corporation; and Zurn Industries, Inc.

Kanawha Circuit Court case number: 12-C-90