Ian Cloud
The heirs of Joe Coleman's estate are suing four corporations for conspiring to inflict him with an asbestos-related disease.
Individually and as heirs of Joe Coleman's estate, DeLoris and Jack Coleman, along with Jihnathan Evans and Gaynell LaGrone, have brought a lawsuit against Ametek, Inc., Certainteed Corp., Georgia-Pacific Corp., and Viacom, Inc.
The plaintiffs filed their original petition with the Jefferson County District Court on June 4. Judge Milton Shuffield, 136th District Court, has been assigned to the case.
According to medical documents attached to the suit, Joe was 70-years-old when he died of metastatic carcinoma (laryngeal cancer). He was a heavy smoker for most of his adult life.
The documents indicated that a combination of asbestos-containing materials and 47-year history of smoking caused Joe's cancer. He died on June 14, 2005.
"The defendants…have been engaged in the manufacture, sale, design, supply, distribution, mining, milling, re-labeling, resale, processing, application or installation of materials used for insulation containing asbestos and/or machinery requiring or calling for the use of asbestos and/or asbestos containing products," the suit said.
"The plaintiffs were exposed to large quantities of asbestos from…defendants," the suit said. "In addition to the fact that the plaintiffs were required to handle asbestos containing products, they were exposed to other asbestos products…present in the work place (sold) by the defendants."
The suit faults the defendants with negligence, liability and conspiracy.
The plaintiffs are suing for physical pain and suffering in the past and future, mental anguish in the past and future, lost wages, loss of earning capacity, disfigurement in the past and future, physical impairment in the past and future, and past and future medical expenses, plus funeral expenses.
The plaintiffs are represented by attorney Ian Cloud of the Heard, Robins, Cloud & Lubel law firm.
"Ian Cloud has tried over 100 plaintiffs' claims to verdict," the firm's Web site said. "He also has represented over 20,000 victims of asbestos disease during the past nine years."
Case No. D179-435