Four complaints name 155 defendants in asbestos suits

CHARLESTON – Four complaints have been filed against 155 companies due to asbestos exposure and lung injuries.

Robert H. Blake and Charlotte Blake; Charles D. Briscoe and Emily M. Briscoe; William Goodfellow and Estella Goodfellow; and Mary Lou Pepper, executrix of the Estate of Franklin M. Pepper claim the 155 defendants are responsible for lung injuries, according to four complaints filed Feb. 13 in Kanawha Circuit Court.

The plaintiffs claim Robert Blake, Charles Briscoe and Franklin Pepper were diagnosed with asbestosis and lung cancer and William Goodfellow was diagnosed with asbestosis.

While the plaintiffs were employed in their various occupations, they were exposed to and did inhale asbestos dust and other dust form products of the defendants, which caused their lung injuries, according to the suits.

The plaintiffs claim the defendants failed to warn them of the dangers of the products and failed to take reasonable precautions to warn them of the dangers.

The defendants also failed to exercise reasonable care to warn of them of the dangers and failed to inform them of what would be safe and sufficient apparel to wear while being exposed to the products, according to the suits.

The plaintiffs claim the defendants failed to test the asbestos-containing products in order to ascertain the dangers involved and failed to test the other ingredients to ascertain the dangers involved.

The conduct of the defendants was willful, wanton, malicious and in reckless disregard of the safety of the plaintiffs, according to the suits.

The plaintiffs are seeking compensatory and punitive damages. They are being represented by David P. Chervenick and Bruce E. Mattock of Goldberg, Persky & White in Pittsburgh, and Scott S. Segal from the Segal Law Firm.

The cases have been assigned to a visiting judge.

The 155 companies named as defendants include 20th Century Glove Corporation of Texas; 4520 Corp., Inc.; Air & Liquid Systems Corporation; Ajax Magnethermic Corporation; Alliance Machine Company; Allied Glove Corporation; American Gage & Machine Company; Armstrong International, Inc.; Armstrong Pumps, Inc.; and Atlas Industries, Inc.

Kanawha Circuit Court case number: 13-C-294, 13-C-295, 13-C-296, 13-C-297