Red House woman names 52 companies as defendants in asbestos suit

CHARLESTON -- A Red House woman is suing 52 companies she claims are responsible for her husband's lung cancer and death.

On Jan. 5, 2010, Wilber E. Wysong was diagnosed with lung cancer, from which he died on Feb. 28, 2010, according to a complaint filed Feb. 27 in Kanawha Circuit Court.

Janet Mae Wysong claims her husband was exposed to asbestos and/or asbestos-containing products during his employment as a laborer and operator from 1951 until 1990.

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

Janet Wysong claims the defendants failed to warn her husband of the dangers of exposure to asbestos.

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

The case has been assigned to a visiting judge.

The 52 companies named as defendants in the suit are 3M Company; A.W. Chesterton Company; Bechtel Corporation; Borg-Warner Corporation; Catalytic Construction Company; Caterpillar, Inc.; Certainteed Corporation; Cleaver-Brooks Company, Inc.; Columbus McKinnon Corporation; Crane Co.; Dravo Corporation; Eaton Corporation; Flowserve FSD Corporation; Flowserve US, Inc.; FMC Corporation; Foster Wheeler Energy Corporation; General Electric Company; Genuine Parts Company; Goulds Pumps; Grinnell LLC; Hercules, Inc.; Honeywell International, Inc.; I.U. North America, Inc.; IMO Industries Inc.; Industrial Holdings Corporation; Ingersoll-Rand Company; ITT Corporation; McJunkin Corporation; Metropolitan Life Insurance Company; Morgan Engineering Systems, Inc.; Nagle Pumps, Inc.; Nitro Industrial Coverings, Inc.; Ohio Valley Insulating Company, Inc.; Owens-Illinois, Inc.; P&H Mining Equipment, Inc.; Rapid American Corporation; Reading Crane and Engineering Company; Riley Power, Inc.; Rust Constructors, Inc; Rust Engineering & Construction, Inc.; Rust International, Inc.; Schneider Electric; Tasco Insulations, Inc.; The Alliance Machine Company; The Gage Company; UB West Virginia, Inc.; Uniroyal, Inc.; United Conveyer Corporation; United Engineers & Constructors and Washington Group International; Vimasco Corporation; Yarway Corporation; and Zurn Industries, LLC.

Kanawha Circuit Court case number: 12-C-372