Cayuga County Slammed with Fourth Asbestos Lawsuit

By Alison Gonzalez

Published on November 14, 2007

Board of Elections worker John Breanick and attorney Dennis Sedor filed the suit, claiming they were exposed to the cancer-causing fibers in their workplace after an old boiler contaminated with asbestos was improperly removed from the during a renovation project building in February 2006.

The illegal removal finally became public six months later.

According to the suit, the illegal, negligent, willful, and reckless acts of the county and its employees are to blame for the asbestos exposure.

County carpenter John Chick pleaded guilty to charges that he violated the Environmental Protection Agency's Clean Air Act during the improper boiler removal. He is currently awaiting sentencing.

Ernie DeCaro, former superintendent of the county's buildings and grounds, said he knew about Chick's illegal activities at the time but did not report it to keep from getting involved with the case.

Several other lawsuits have already been filed against the county by Election Commissioner Cherl Heary, deputy commissioners Deborah Calarco and Thomas Prystal, and 12 other county employees, as well as six former inmates and other members of the public.

Breanick and Sedor are seeking actual, compensatory, and punitive damages.

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