Michigan woman claims mesothelioma diagnosis

A woman recently diagnosed with mesothelioma has filed an asbestos suit against 29 defendant corporations, claiming the disease was wrongfully caused.

Anna Beaglehole claims she was diagnosed with the disease July 24, according to a lawsuit filed Oct. 30 in Madison County Circuit Court.

Beaglehole says she worked from 1943 until 1958 as a cashier and bookkeeper at Kroger in Michigan, according to the lawsuit.

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

In addition to her employment, she was exposed to asbestos fibers through her deceased husband, who worked from 1948 until 1950 as an assembly line worker at Ferguson Tractor Company, in the 1950s as a line worker at Aircraft Precision Parts Company and from 1960 until 1987 at Chevrolet Motors Engineering where he tested and implemented new technologies, built engines and tore them down, the suit states.

She was also exposed through her father, Giovanni Agnello, who worked as a cement finisher at Ford Motor Company, according to the complaint.

Beaglehole states her exposure was foreseeable and should have been anticipated by the defendants, according to the lawsuit.

Beaglehole alleges the asbestos-related disease has disabled and disfigured her and has and will continue to compel her to expend and become liable for large sums of money for hospital, medical, and other health and services necessary for the treatment of the disease. Beaglehole also has and will continue to experience great physical pain and mental anguish as a result of the disease, she claims in the lawsuit.

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

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

In the nine-count lawsuit, Beaglehole seeks sums in excess of $50,000, punitive and exemplary damages in excess of $100,000, economic damages in excess of $150,000 and compensatory damages in excess of $100,000.

She also seeks punitive damages in an amount sufficient to punish Sprinkmann Insulation and Sprinkmann Sons Corporation for their misconduct and to deter similarly situated parties from committing like acts of misconduct in the future.

She is represented by Randy L. Gori of Gori, Julian and Associates in Alton and by W. Mark Lanier, R. Craig Bullock, J. Kyle Beale and Sara A. Morton of The Lanier Law Firm in Houston.