Woman Allowed To Sue Over Husbands Mesothelioma Death

A Greenfield, Wisconsin woman has been granted the chance to sue the brake manufacturer that she says is responsible for the death of her husband. The District 1 Court of Appeals has given Vicki Tatera the ability to sue FMC Corp. for negligence after the company failed to inform users that their brakes contained asbestos.

Tatera’s husband, Walter, worked at a machine shop where he ground brake linings down to be installed in automobiles. Mrs. Tatera claims that the dust from the FMC Corp. brake linings led to hers husband’s mesothelioma and death in 2004.

Exposure to airborne asbestos fibers can lead to a number of illnesses including asbestosis and malignant mesothelioma. Mesothelioma, a fatal form of cancer, usually begins in the pleura or peritoneum and around 2,000 new cases are diagnosed annually in the United States. Symptoms of asbestos related illnesses typically take between 20 and 50 years to appear and often include shortness of breath and chest pain. For peritoneal mesothelioma symptoms include weight loss and abdominal pain. Currently, there is no cure for mesothelioma but new treatments continue to be developed.

Asbestos was popularly used in a number of construction and insulation materials in the first half of the century. Not until the 1970’s were the dangers of asbestos made public and the U.S. government implemented regulations on its use.

FMC Corp. denies the allegations and the case will now go to trial.

Source: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-ap-wi-asbestoslawsuit,0,5181046.story