Julian
Four new complaints have been added to the growing list of asbestos cases filed in St. Clair County Circuit Court.
John E. Collins filed a lawsuit in September in St. Clair County Circuit Court against 39 defendant companies.
Charles Lewis Jr. and Bobbie Lewis filed a lawsuit in September in St. Clair County Circuit Court against 29 defendant companies.
Collins and the Lewises do not indicate residence in their complaints.
Other recent asbestos suits filed in St. Clair County include those of Robert and Janet Lancaster of Massachusetts who name 26 defendant companies; and Robert Melson of Missouri who name 47 defendant companies.
John E. Collins claims he brought asbestos fibers home with him after his work as a laborer in the shipping and maintenance department at Kimberly Clark from 1952 until 1963, as a laborer in the shipping and maintenance department at Great Southern Paper Co. from 1963 until 1975 and as a supervisor in the shipping department at Virginia Fiber from 1975 until 1979. By bringing clothes home with asbestos fibers on them, John E. Collins accidentally exposed his wife, Juanita C. Collins to asbestos, according to the complaint.
As a result of her exposure to the asbestos fibers, Juanita C. Collins developed lung cancer, which led to her death Oct. 29, 2008, according to the complaint.
Charles Lewis Jr. claims he developed lung cancer after his work as a loader at Cole Manufacturing in the early 1970s; as a loader at Three State Supply from 1975 until 1977; as an iron worker at LaClede Steel from 1974 until 1975; as a security police officer from 1978 until 1989; as a nuclear weapon guard, administrator and heat plant manager in the U.S. Air Force; as a security guard at various locations from 1990 until 1991 and as a corrections officer for the county sheriff's department from 1991 until now.
Robert Lancaster claims he developed mesothelioma after his work as a laborer at Conrad Construction from 1949 until 1954, as a laborer and apprentice bricklayer at John Statuto from 1949 until 1959, as a bricklayer at various commercial and residential sites from 1959 until 1972 and as a self-employed bricklayer from 1973 until 1992.
Robert Melson claims his recently deceased father, George N. Melson Jr., developed lung cancer after his work as a mechanic at Melson Service Station from 1946 until 1957, as the owner of Melson Hardware from 1958 until 1964, as a salesman at Investor Diversified Services from 1965 until 1967, as the owner of Melson Drug Store from 1967 until 1969, as a salesman at A & M Supply from 1969 until 1970, as a farmer at Melson Farms from 1971 until 1978 and as the owner of three Sinclair service stations from 1969 until 1990.
Because of his exposure to asbestos fibers, George N. Melson Jr. developed lung cancer, which led to his death on Dec. 18, 2007.
Before their deaths, Juanita C. Collins and George N. Melson Jr. incurred medical costs, experienced great physical pain and mental anguish and was hindered and prevented from attending to their normal courses of employment, the suits state.
Because of Juanita C. Collins' and George N. Melson Jr.'s deaths, their families have been deprived of their support, has lost their society and have incurred funeral and burial costs, the complaints say.
Charles Lewis Jr. and Robert Lancaster have also incurred medical costs, experienced great pain and mental anguish and has been hindered and prevented from attending to his normal course of employment, his complaint says.
In his six-count complaint, John Collins seeks $150,000 for economic damages, $50,000 in punitive and exemplary damages, $100,000 in compensatory damages, punitive damages in an amount sufficient to punish Sprinkmann Sons Corporation and Young Insulation Group to deter them from their misconduct and a judgment for more than $150,000.
In their six-count complaint, the Lewises and the Lancasters seek a judgment of more than $100,000, punitive damages in an amount sufficient to punish the defendant for their actions, compensatory damages of more than $100,000 and punitive and exemplary damages of more than $100,000.
In his 10-count complaint, Robert Melson seeks economic damages of more than $200,000, a judgment of more than $150,000, punitive and exemplary damages of more than $50,000, compensatory damages of more than $100,000 and punitive damages in an amount sufficient to punish the defendants for their misconduct.
Randy L. Gori and Barry Julian of Gori, Julian and Associates in Edwardsville will be representing all the plaintiffs.
St. Clair County Circuit Court case numbers: 10-L-490, 10-L-491, 10-L-492,10-L-506.