Body Removed From Funeral by Defendants in Asbestos Injury Case

The family of a recently deceased New Jersey man is outraged at the actions taken by the defendants in his asbestos injury case. Harold St. John, recently passed away from the fatal cancer, malignant mesothelioma and his family was involved in a lawsuit with the company they claim is responsible for his disease and death.

Friends and family had left St. John’s funeral expecting his body to be buried. Instead, the defendants obtained a court order to have the body sent back to the funeral home and the family was notified hours later.

Mr. St. John previously worked in an automobile repair shop and claimed he was exposed to asbestos while working with the parts. The dangerous carcinogen is found in a number of construction and automobile products. It was popularly used until the 1970s when the government implemented regulations after discovering the hazardous effects of the mineral.

Exposure to asbestos can lead to a number of fatal diseases including asbestosis and malignant mesothelioma. Symptoms take between 20 and 50 years to appear, often too late for any effective treatment. There is no known cure but treatments are usually a combination of surgery, chemotherapy and radiation.

The defendants want an autopsy of the body saying that their request is not uncommon and they had previously requested samples of the lung tissue prior to Mr. St. John’s death. The plaintiff’s attorney claims the defendants have already received tissue samples and object to the autopsy.