Suit claims asbestos was the cause of Madison County man's death

By Brian Cole

Published on March 15, 2006

Sue Welch of Madison County, Illinois is bringing the suit. Her husband, Jack, died just 15 days after discovering he had mesothelioma, a cancer caused by asbestos exposure. Welch is seeking $300,000 in compensatory damages and punitive damages to be determined at trial.

The list of defendants includes Ford Motor Company, Goodyear, Mobile Oil, and others. The suit claims the defendants are guilty of willful and wanton misconduct, exposing people to chemicals they knew, or should have known, were dangerous.

Welch also claims her husband was unable to work, had to undergo costly medical treatment and suffered physical and emotional pain. By including asbestos in their products, the suit claims that the manufacturers failed to exercise ordinary care and caution in protecting people who worked with or near the substance.

The suit also alleges that the companies failed to provide warning of the dangers of asbestos and included it in their product even though there were reasonable substitutes available.