May 8
PA � Ian Cloud, J � David Garner
Cynthia Leigh Chason filed suit against Marathon Petroleum Company and other businesses on allegations of prolonged asbestos exposure, which she claims caused her to develop mesothelioma.
Chason alleges her illness came from the asbestos to which she was subjected by way of her father, who was a Marathon employee during the 1970s.
The suit argues the defendants were aware of the potential health risk the asbestos and its related products presented, but failed to give any type of warning.
Case No. 08CV0486
PA � Mark O. Midani, J � Wayne Mallia
Janice Stanard of Galveston believes Millar Elevator Service Company and others were oblivious to the presence of a reportedly shoddy elevator at the University of Texas Medical Branch.
The elevator, says the suit, moved erratically while Stanard was on board.
On May 20, 2006, Stanard said she entered the elevator in the Levin Hall Building where she worked as an operator for UTMB in Galveston, when it, "started bouncing and jerking up and down, causing Plaintiff to suffer serious physical and emotional injuries."
Other defendants in the suit are Millar Elevator Industries Inc., Schindler Elevator Corporation, Tri-State/Schindler Elevator Company, Schindler Holdings Inc. and UTMB Healthcare Systems.
The suit generally blames the defendants' "negligent acts or omissions" for Stanard's reported ordeal, accusing them of failing to maintain, repair, and inspect the elevators located at the 117-year-old medical institution.
Case No. 08CV0485
PA � Robert J. O'Conor Jr., J � John Ellisor
An incident between two boaters that occurred in Galveston Bay two years ago is the source of a lawsuit between a Harris County woman and a Houston man.
The Perfect Match, a 2003 Catalina 310, which carried Elizabeth Worthington, traversed the waters between Houston and Galveston sometime around May 20, 2006, when the Erin McKenzie, a 2004 Beneteau 373, struck and damaged the former, alleges a lawsuit filed on May 9 in Galveston County District Court.
Worthington subsequently sustained injuries to her ribcage and back, according to the suit, and is seeking damages from Dennis Peck, owner of the Erin McKenzie. She brings up charges of negligence and infraction of maritime law against him.
Case No. 08CV0492