Lung cancer claimed in St. Clair County asbestos suit

A man filed a lawsuit in St. Clair County against dozens of manufacturers of asbestos products after being exposed to asbestos fibers and developing lung cancer.

Bernard Grams, represented by attorneys Randy L. Gori and Barry Julian of the law firm Gori, Julian & Associates P.C., claims in the suit filed Dec. 18 that he was diagnosed with lung cancer in May 2012.

Grams does not indicate where he resides, but indicates he was a tree trimmer for the City of Milwaukee and worked for Rexnord Chain Belt Division in the 1950s.

The defendants are accused of failing to warn plaintiff of the dangers of inhaling asbestos fibers from the products they manufactured including asbestos in their products when adequate substitutes were available and failing to conduct tests on the asbestos-containing products manufactured, installed or delivered by the defendants in order to determine hazards to workers such as the plaintiff.

The lawsuit also states the defendants are guilty of several acts of omissions as the defendants knew or should have known the products had a toxic, poisonous and highly damaging effect upon persons inhaling, ingesting or otherwise absorbing them and failed to provide adequate warnings to persons working around them.

Grams is seeking more than $50,000 in damages.

St. Clair Circuit Court Case No.13-L-624.