GALVESTON - Michael Ray Cook and his wife are suing 50 companies after his health allegedly deteriorated as a result of asbestos exposure.
In a lawsuit filed Jan. 28 in Galveston County District Court, Cook says he came into contact with asbestos and asbestos-containing products and machinery while working as a laborer.
Among the named defendants in the case are Union Carbide Co., BP Amoco Chemical Co., Marathon Oil Co., Ingersoll-Rand Co. and A.W. Chesterton.
According to the original petition, Cook labored in various shipyards, steel mills, refineries, paper mills and even military installations across the country.
He allegedly inhaled "great quantities of asbestos fibers" during his numerous assignments, notably those at the Union Carbide facility in Beaumont, the suit says.
The suit states that Cook's asbestos exposure aboard the U.S. Navy vessels has nothing to do with the theory of negative design, but rather on the theory of failure to warn.
The suit lists nine counts of purported wrongdoing against the defendants.
Consequently, the Cooks seek unspecified monetary damages and a jury trial.
Brent Coon & Associates is representing the plaintiffs, and Galveston County 10th District Court Judge David Cook is presiding over the case.
Case No. 11-cv-0149