Va. widow named 42 defendants in asbestos case

CHARLESTON -- A Hampton, Va., woman is suing 42 companies she claims are responsible for her late husband's lung cancer and death.

On Jan. 20, 2011, Glenn Randolph Davis was diagnosed with lung cancer, from which he died on Aug. 1, 2011, according to a complaint filed Jan. 12 in Kanawha Circuit Court.

Dolores Kerns Davis claims the 42 defendants exposed her late husband to asbestos during his career from 1969 until 2010.

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

The 42 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.

Dolores Kerns Davis is seeking a jury trial to resolve all issues involved. She is being represented by Victoria L. Antion and Scott A. McGee.

The case has been assigned to a visiting judge.

The 42 defendants named in the suit are 3M Company; A.O. Smith Corporation; A.W. Chesterton Company; Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.; Allied Chemical Corporation; Beazer East, Inc.; Borg-Warner Corporation; Brand Insulations, Inc.; Certainteed Corporation; Cleaver-Brooks, Inc.; Crane Co.; Eaton Electrical, Inc.; Exxon Mobil Corporation; Fluor Corporation; Fluor Enterprises, Inc.; Ford Motor Company; Foster Wheeler Energy Corporation; General Electric Company, Inc.; Genuine Parts Company; Georgia Pacific Corporation; Goulds Pumps, Inc.; Honeywell International; Ingersoll-Rand Company; Kelsey-Hayes Company; Metropolitan Life Insurance Company; O.C. Keekley Company; Oakfabco, Inc.; Pneumo Abex Corporation; Riley Power, Inc.; Rockwell Automation, Inc.; Rust Constructors, Inc.; Rust Engineering & Construction, Inc.; Schneider Electric; Tasco Insulations, Inc.; Union Carbide Chemical & Plastics Company; Uniroyal, Inc.; United Engineers & Constructors and Washington Group International; Viacom, Inc.; Vimasco Corporation; Virginia Electric and Power Company; Weil-McLain Company; and Zurn Industries, Inc.

Kanawha Circuit Court case number: 12-C-85