EDWARDSVILLE – A man's widow who is the administrator of his estate is suing over allegations that his death was tied to asbestos exposure.
Joanne Walsh, individually and as special administrator of the estate of Charles Walsh, filed the suit April 20 in Madison County Circuit Court against 3M Co., alleging negligence and other counts.
From 1964 to 1996, the deceased was allegedly exposed to asbestos-containing products while on the job. Those products allegedly include pumps, valves, gaskets, HVAC equipment and pipes, among others.
On Dec. 26, 2012, the deceased was diagnosed with lung cancer, wrongfully caused by asbestos exposure, according to the complaint, and he died July 5, 2013.
The suit says his death is attributable to the alleged negligence of the defendant in the following ways, among others: it included asbestos in its products, it failed to provide adequate warnings to those working with the products, and it failed to test the products to determine any hazards from working with them.
As a result, according to the complaint, the deceased was exposed to, inhaled, ingested or otherwise absorbed asbestos fibers. Before he died, he paid large sums of money for medical care, experienced great physical pain, and could not perform his normal course of employment so his family was deprived of his monetary support, the suit says. The plaintiff seeks damages for the loss of consortium of her husband.
She seeks judgment of at least $50,000 for each count plus other relief the court deems appropriate. She is represented by Eric D. Jackstadt and Napoli Shkolnik of Napoli Shkolnik PLLC in Edwardsville.
Madison County Circuit Court case number 16-L-546