A St. Clair County, Illinois, couple is suing electrical service companies, manufacturing companies and other associates over negligence in employee exposure to asbestos and the preservation of evidence concerning the matter.
Geraldine Sabish and Richard Sabish filed multiple lawsuits June 23 in St. Clair Circuit Court against ABB Inc., Regal Ware Inc., Sprinkmann Sons Corp., Pneumo Abex LLC, Metropolitan Life Insurance Co. and several other companies.
According to the filing, Geraldine Sabish was employed as a laborer at Amity from 1962 to 1966 and at Regal Ware Inc. from 1966 to 2003. She claims she was exposed to large amounts of asbestos while working at these locations causing her to develop lung cancer.
The plaintiff alleges that the companies could have easily known about their employees being exposed to asbestos and that it was highly toxic. Thus, the plaintiff claim, they were negligent in securing the safety of employees from this danger as well as warning them about it.
She has also filed many counts including spoliation of evidence, claiming possession of certain documents relating to asbestos-containing products and wrongful disposal of these documents.
Other claims are that Metropolitan Life Insurance and Pneumo Abex conspired with asbestos-producing companies and withheld information regarding the hazards of asbestos exposure and lung cancer. This allegedly led her to remain ignorant of these factors and eventually suffer much mental and physical anguish as well as monetary losses.
Her husband, Richard Sabish, is suing the defendants for allegedly causing him to be deprived of his wife's companionship.
The plaintiffs are seeking $50,000 in damages on each count and are represented by attorneys Gori, Jullian & Associates.
St. Clair County Circuit Court case No. 15-L-366