Charity Johnson is a woman from Toledo, Illinois who has a clear memory of her father coming home from work, covered in dust. Johnson’s father was by turns a welder, a construction worker and an auto mechanic throughout her childhood and his life, and she says that when he would come home after working around products that contained asbestos, his clothing, skin and hair would be permeated with the dust, which then spread throughout their home. Years later, she has been diagnosed with mesothelioma, a rare and fatal form of cancer that is exclusively caused by exposure to asbestos. She has filed a mesothelioma claim against all of the companies for whom her father worked or whose products he used, citing negligence, conspiracy and willful and wanton misconduct. She is seeking a minimum of $50,000 from each of the defendants named.
The list of defendants reads like a who’s who of American industry, and includes General Electric Company, Ford Motor Company, and Honeywell International. According to Johnson, since her diagnosis in December of 2013 she has been through tremendous pain and mental anguish, and has been required to spend tremendous amounts of money on her medical treatment. She is seeking compensation not only for her own damages but also for the foreseeable damages that the premature death that she expects will impose on her family, who will be deprived of her company as well as her support.
Secondary exposure to asbestos has been well established as a cause of mesothelioma, particularly in the wives and children of those who have worked with the deadly product. Asbestos was being widely used in the United States in the years following World War II through the 1970s, when the work force was largely made up of men – and particularly in the fields of construction, insulation, factory work. Though many of the companies providing the asbestos-contaminated materials and supplies were aware of the mineral’s dangers, the workers were completely unaware that it was putting them at risk. They were certainly unaware that when they would go home after work each day, they were carrying home death sentences for their wives and children as well.
Mesothelioma has a long latency period, and in many cases symptoms do not appear until decades after exposure to asbestos takes place. Today, the children who were exposed to asbestos have grown up, and the disease is beginning to make itself known. If you have been diagnosed with mesothelioma, whether through occupational exposure or because someone you love unknowingly exposed you, the compassionate attorneys at Danziger & De Llano can help. Call us today to see how filing a mesothelioma claim can provide you with the security that you and your family need.
