CHARLESTON — A Raleigh County couple is suing 19 companies, alleging liability and negligence in permitting the husband to develop Parkinson's disease.
Gregory S. Gwinn and Kimberly Ann Gwinn filed a complaint May 5 in Kanawha Circuit Court against the 19 defendants, alleging they failed to provide proper protection to Gregory Gwinn while he was working as a paint technician.
The defendants are PPG Industries, Inc., a Pennsylvania corporation; Grow Automotive, a foreign entity; DuPont, The Valspar Corporation and Axalta Coating Systems, LLC, all based in Delaware; The Sherwin-Williams Company and Transtar Autobody Technologies, Inc., Ohio corporations; NAPA Auto Parts, a Georgia corporation; U-Pol U.S. Inc., a foreign corporation; International Autobody Marketing Group, an Arizona corporation; Fleetwood Products, Inc., a New Jersey corporation; Crest Industries, Inc., a Michigan corporation; W.M. Barr & Company, Inc., a Tennessee corporation; Safety-Kleen Systems, Inc., a Wisconsin corporation; Auto Body & Paint Supply, Beckley Welding Supply, Inc., RMS Pro Finishes, Inc., and Mountain Marketing, Inc., all West Virginia corporations; and B&L Distributors, a sole proprietorship.
According to the complaint, Gregory Gwinn suffered physical injuries from having developed Parkinson's disease at the age of 43 due to exposure to the harmful substances while working for the defendants. The plaintiffs allege the defendants negligently and carelessly allowed Gwinn to be exposed to harmful substances during his employment between 1992 and 2015. Kimberly Ann Gwinn alleges loss of consortium.
The Gwinns seek trial by jury, compensatory damages, punitive damages, interest, all legal fees and all just relief. They are represented by attorneys R. Dean Hartley and Mark R. Staun of Hartley law Group, PLLC in Wheeling.
Kanawha Circuit Court Case number 17C622