Woman sues over husband's asbestos-related death

An Illinois woman has filed an asbestos suit on behalf of her recently deceased husband against 74 defendant corporations, claiming the lung cancer with which he was diagnosed was wrongfully caused.

Lorena Gilmore claims Franklin Gilmore was diagnosed with the disease May 23 and died on June 17, according to a lawsuit filed Sept. 22 in Madison County Circuit Court.

Lorena says her husband worked in 1957 as a cooper for National Distilleries, from 1958 until 1964 as a laborer at Crescent Forge and from 1964 until 1994 as a laborer at Caterpillar in East Peoria, Ill., according to the lawsuit.

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

She claims his disease was caused after he was exposed to and inhaled, ingested or otherwise absorbed asbestos fibers.

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

Lung cancer hindered and prevented Franklin from pursuing his normal course of employment, according to the suit.

As a result, he lost large sums of money, Lorena claims.

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

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

Lorena also claims she and other family members have been deprived of Franklin's companionship, society and services.

In the eleven-count lawsuit, Lorena seeks sums in excess of $200,000, economic damages in excess of $150,000 and compensatory damages in excess of $150,000.

She also seeks punitive damages in an amount sufficient to punish Ferris Kimball Company, Sprinkmann Sons Corporation, Sprinkmann Sons Insulation and Young Insulation Group of St. Louis for their misconduct and to deter similarly situated parties from committing like acts of misconduct in the future.

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