Holiday Decorations Linked to Man’s Malignant Mesothelioma
Decorating for the Christmas holidays is the foundation on which many fond family memories are built, but for one man, it may have led to his death from malignant mesothelioma. It has definitely led his family to a legal battle against the company that manufactured and sold Snow Drift, an artificial snow product, and which failed to warn that their product was contaminated with asbestos.
Mesothelioma Lawsuit Centers on Asbestos in Artificial Snow
Though Larry Petries’ family acknowledges that his mesothelioma came after exposure to asbestos from multiple occupational sources, they have also named the Novelis Corporation as a defendant in their personal injury lawsuit. They point to the company’s artificial snow product called Snow Drift as the cause of his cancer. Petrie’s family used Snow Drift to decorate their house during the holidays, and his survivors say that the asbestos it was made from contributed to his malignant mesothelioma diagnosis.
Though the Novelis Corporation moved to have the family’s mesothelioma lawsuit dismissed, the judge hearing the case denied their motion for summary judgment and is allowing the case to proceed for a jury’s consideration. The company argued that Petrie’s illness was a result of asbestos exposure while having worked as a pipefitter on Naval ships, while working on automobile brakes as a teen, and during his years of work at the Mare Island Naval shipyard.
Family Acknowledges Mesothelioma Victim’s Multiple Exposures to Asbestos
Though Mr. Petrie’s family acknowledged multiple sources of the asbestos exposure that led to his death from malignant mesothelioma, they particularly blame the makers of Snow Drift, which his family used to decorate at Christmas each year in the 1950s. They recounted family tales of playing and having snowball fights with the product, and point to scientific data indicating that early exposure can cause significant harm.
In denying the company’s motion for summary judgment, the judge made it possible for the family to present their evidence to a jury. When the case goes to trial, it will be up to the jury to make a decision as to whether the company was negligent in allowing the product to be sold to consumers without appropriate warnings of its dangers.
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