Missouri man sues over wife's mesothelioma death

A Missouri man has filed an asbestos suit on behalf of his recently deceased wife against 30 defendant corporations, claiming the mesothelioma with which she was diagnosed was wrongfully caused.

James A. Walsh claims Dianna L. Walsh was diagnosed with the disease in December and died Jan. 12, according to a lawsuit filed Sept. 17 in Madison County Circuit Court.

James says his wife was exposed to asbestos fibers her father, Robert Holder, would carry home with him on his clothing, according to the lawsuit.

Holder worked from 1954 until 1972 as a boiler operator at the Kansas City Municipal Auditorium and as a plumber and heating technician, the suit states.

James states Dianna's exposure was foreseeable and should have been anticipated by the defendants, according to the lawsuit.

James alleges the asbestos-related disease caused the couple to incur substantial medical costs. Dianna also experienced great physical pain and mental anguish as a result of the disease, James claims in the lawsuit.

Mesothelioma hindered and prevented Dianna from pursuing her normal course of employment, according to the suit.

As a result, she lost large sums of money, James claims.

Because of Dianna's death, her family has been deprived of her support and has lost her society, the suit states.

Her family spent substantial amounts on funeral and burial costs, according to the complaint.

In the four-count lawsuit, James seeks sums in excess of $200,000 and unspecified economic damages.

He is represented by Elizabeth V. Heller and Robert Rowland of Goldenberg, Heller, Antognoli, Rowland & Short in Edwardsville.