BELLEVILLE — The estate of an Illinois man who died of lung cancer in February 2016 is seeking punitive and compensatory damages after filing suit in St. Clair County Circuit Court.
The estate filed suit on March 28 against dozens of companies that produced products that contained asbestos. Health problems associated with asbestos include asbestosis, mesothelioma and cancer.
The plaintiff in the case is David J. Sopola, the executor of the estate of his father David P. Sopola. Filing the complaint last month were Edwardsville attorneys Randy Gori and Barry Julian of Gori Julian & Associates.
The seven-count complaint says the elder Sopola, who was diagnosed with lung cancer in December 2013, "was exposed to and inhaled, ingested or otherwise absorbed large amounts of asbestos fibers, emanating from certain products he was working with and around which were manufactured, sold, distributed or installed by the defendants.’’
In filing the complaint, the estate is looking for damages of at least $50,000 per count.
Among the counts are negligence allegations against the manufacturers; willful and wanton misconduct against the manufacturers; conspiracy against Metropolitan Life Insurance; negligence by manufacturers of respirator products; willful and wanton misconduct by manufacturers of respirator products; negligence spoliation of evidence; and willful and wanton spoliation of evidence.
The elder Sopola served in the Navy from 1962-71 and worked as a machinist mate. He spent his working career from 1972 to 2007 at General Motors in boiler operations.
The complaint claims "the defendants had a duty to exercise reasonable care and caution for the safety of the decedent and others working with and around the products of the defendants containing asbestos.’’