Benzene suit settled during jury deliberation

By Brian Cole

Published on April 06, 2006

Kemah, Texas resident John Ringstaff's suit claimed that during his employment at Crown he was exposed to dangerous levels of benzene, which eventually caused him to develop leukemia. Benzene is a chemical used as a gasoline additive. Ringstaff, 58, worked as a laborer and heavy equipment operator for the company from 1962 to 1973.

Crown lawyer Phil Werner maintained during the trial that the disease could have been caused at any one of Ringstaff's chemical company employers. Ringstaff had later worked for Arco, Amoco, and Marathon.

Ringstaff's lawyer, E.A. Apffel argued that the exposure came from Crown and brought medical reports he said supported this view. He also called Ringstaff's doctor to the stand, who said his patient would likely die from the disease in two years.

Werner submitted medical evidence, reports and doctor's testimony that said the cause of the leukemia was likely not benzene exposure.

After the settlement, Apffel said that there are still many unanswered questions about benzene exposure and its effects.

"Unfortunately, there are a lot of contradictory views, and not a lot of concrete answers," he said.

The dollar figure of the settlement is not known.

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