PU law firm wants history of all employee benzene suits filed against Chevron, Texaco

The Provost Umphrey Law Firm in Beaumont is seeking the history of all benzene suits filed by the employees of Chevron USA and Texaco at the refinery in Port Arthur.

The discovery request comes from a recent lawsuit brought by the family of a deceased man, which claims the plaintiffs are entitled to recover punitive and exemplary damages from his former employers for exposing him to benzene.

Through PU attorney Keith Hyde, plaintiffs Marshall D. Gore Jr., Kyle Gore, Kimberly Gore Brown and Melanie Gore Varnell filed suit against Chevron and Texaco on July 17 in the Jefferson County District Court against.

Court records show the plaintiffs submitted their first set of interrogatories to the defendants on Oct. 15.

One of the questions asks states: “Please identify all lawsuits filed against this defendant by any of defendant’s employees and/or contracted employees claiming an occupational disease caused by exposure to benzene within the period of 1951-present. Please limit this interrogatory to exposures that were alleged to have occurred at this defendant’s Texaco refinery located in Port Arthur.”

According to the original petition, the children of Marshall Gore Sr. claim he developed myelodysplastic syndrome after working at Texaco. During his career, which lasted from 1951 through 1963, Gore was exposed to gasoline, benzene, benzene-containing products and other chemical products.

As a result of the syndrome, Gore died a “painful and terrible death” on May 15, 2013, the suit states.

His children blame the defendants for causing their father’s death, saying it knew that various chemicals could cause disease, but allowed their employees to utilize toxic chemicals. They also failed to warn of the dangers of gasoline and failed to take the necessary precautions, the suit states.

Jefferson County District Court case number D-195891