Bryan Blevins
The estate of Voight C. Wainwright filed an asbestos suit against 42 defendant corporations in Jefferson County District Court March 2, claiming his disease was wrongfully caused.
According to the complaint, Wainwright was employed as a laborer and seaman where he worked with asbestos and asbestos-related materials.
Wainwright died from mesothelioma on March 25, 2005.
His estate alleges that the defendants manufactured, sold or distributed asbestos-containing products that were unreasonably dangerous and defective. Defendants failed to adequately warn of the dangers of asbestos exposure, failed to test their products to determine the hazards and continued to distribute and/or manufacture asbestos-containing products after the hazards of asbestos exposure were well known in medical and scientific literature.
With respect to one of the defendants, 3M, the complaint alleges company’s mask products failed to provide adequate respiratory protection.
The estate claims the defendants are grossly negligent and acted with malice.
Plaintiff is seeking damages for physical pain and suffering, mental anguish past and future, lost wages, disfigurement, physical impairment, medical bills and funeral expenses. Plaintiff also alleges that she should recover actual and exemplary damages.
The plaintiff, Mary Catherine Waingwright individually and as executrix of the estate, is represented by Bryan O. Blevins Jr. of the Provost Umphrey Law Firm in Beaumont.
The case has been assigned to 60th District Court Judge Gary Sanderson.