ASBESTOS EXPOSURE AND MESOTHELIOMA CANCER
Oil refinery worker’s death from mesothelioma prompts widow to sue his employer

Woman sues husband’s employer after losing family breadwinner to job-related asbestos exposure and mesothelioma cancer.

Weitz & Luxenberg has protected the legal rights of asbestos-injured workers since 1986. And in that time the firm's mesothelioma lawyers have won several billion dollars in verdicts and settlements for clients injured by occupational asbestos exposure.

Mesothelioma Lawsuit

December 1, 2009 – The wife of an oil refinery worker who died of mesothelioma, the deadliest of asbestos-related cancers, has sued the man’s employer, Chevron USA, for negligently exposing her husband to asbestos during his employment.

The deceased worker, Billy Cunningham, “died a painful and terrible death on Feb. 11, 2009,” charges the mesothelioma lawsuit that his wife filed on Nov. 20, 2009. “During Cunningham’s employment with Gulf Oil, he used and was exposed to toxic materials, including asbestos dust and/or fibers.”

Asbestos and Mesothelioma

There is currently no cure for mesothelioma, a global occupational disease linked to occupational asbestos exposure. The most common form of mesothelioma is malignant pleural mesothelioma, but the cancer can also affect the heart and stomach.

Although treatments such as chemotherapy, surgery and radiation can be given in order to help stop the spread of the cancer and to alleviate its symptoms, most patients die within one year of being diagnosed.

Mesothelioma lawsuit

Cunningham’s lawsuit alleges that Chevron USA was aware of the hazards associated with asbestos-containing products but chose not to remove employees from the toxic environment. “The defendant acted with malice . . . and gross neglect for exposing Cunningham to asbestos,” says the complaint.

The suit further charges that Chevron USA failed to warn employees about the dangers of occupational asbestos exposure and failed to take the necessary safety precautions for workers to avoid exposure while working with and around asbestos-containing materials.

The plaintiff is asking for exemplary damages and is seeking “to recover from the defendant an amount in excess of the jurisdictional limits of the courts.”

Time to seek justice

If you have been diagnosed with mesothelioma and seek a free case review, please notify us through the communication form on this page. We will pursue your claim with vigilance to help you pay for medical bills, lost wages, and suffering.

Please know, the firm works on a contingency basis so there is no cost to you until we obtain a verdict or reach a settlement in your favor.