NEW JERSEY ASBESTOS
Auto giant subpoenas funeral for body of deceased asbestos victim

Family of deceased New Jersey asbestos victim vows to fight auto giant's demands.

March 10, 2009 -- An automobile company sent a process server to the funeral of a New Jersey man last week, demanding that his body undergo further testing to prove that he did in fact die of asbestos-related mesothelioma.

The deceased, a retired airline worker, sued the auto giant for his asbestos exposure, and a trial had been slated to begin March 9. But following his death on February 28th, the trial was postponed.

The former airline worker, 67, alleged that he was exposed to asbestos while installing automobile brake products in his father’s car repair shop in the late fifties and sixties. Asbestos was not regulated until the late seventies, but was widely used in automobile brake lining and brake pad products for decades due to its ability to withstand high temperatures.

The man’s family said they will fight the autop giant's demands, citing the fact that he underwent a biopsy of the pleural lining of his lungs while he was still alive. This tissue sample, according to his family, proved that he died of mesothelioma, an illness caused by asbestos exposure.

Under orders from a judge, the man’s body was returned to a funeral home where it has resided for the past 10 days pending the outcome in New Brunswick Superior Court.

The truth about asbestos

Despite the fatal health consequences associated with asbestos exposure, asbestos is still imported and used in the United States for its insulation properties. The United States imported and used an estimated 1,820 tons of asbestos in 2007, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

Government sources estimate that in the next decade more than 35,000 people nationwide will be diagnosed with the deadliest form of asbestos-related cancer, mesothelioma. This disease is most often the result of industrial workplace exposure to asbestos – and usually contracted through employers’ blatant disregard for the health and safety of their workers. That’s why people diagnosed with mesothelioma and their family members have strong cases in court.

Time to seek justice

Weitz & Luxenberg has protected the legal rights of workers for 25 years – longer than most law firms in the nation. And in that time the firm's mesothelioma lawyers have won several billion dollars in verdicts and settlements for clients.

If you have been diagnosed with mesothelioma, and seek FREE legal guidance and answers to your concerns, please notify us through the communication form below. We will pursue your claim with vigilance to help you pay for medical bills, future and past lost wages, and damages. There is no cost to you until we win a settlement or a verdict.