West Virginia Plaintiffs Name 108 Defendants in Asbestos Suits

Julyy 6, 2006 - Two lawsuits filed last week by a Pittsburgh law firm in a Charlestown, WV court name more than 100 defendants per suit, charging them with negligence in exposing workers to asbestos. 

A suit filed on behalf of Albert and Chestene Miller names a total of 107 defendants.  Albert Miller was a laborer with the United Steel Workers Association Local 721.  The lawsuit notes that Mr. Miller was employed at an industrial site in Kenova, West Virginia, which was "owned and operated by various entities including U.S. Steel Chemical, Aristech and Novamont Chemical.

Miller, an Ohio resident, is critically ill with mesothelioma.  His wife, Chestene, is suing for loss of consortium.  They are seeking both punitive and compensatory damages.

The second suit, filed by a Charleston firm on behalf of David Murray, is one of many suits being filed in today’s courts on behalf of family members who were sickened due to exposure to asbestos caused by a parent or spouse who worked with the toxic material on a daily basis.  Murray’s suit alleges that he was exposed to airborne asbestos brought home on the clothes of his father, who worked at a Wheeling Pittsburgh Steel Plant in the town of Benwood.

Murray names 108 defendants in his suit.  The 59-year-old currently suffers from both asbestosis and mesothelioma.