In Case Against Westinghouse, Woman’s Mesothelioma Blamed on Asbestos from Stepfather’s Clothing

Every mesothelioma death is a tragedy, but among the most heart wrenching stories are those where the victims have never worked with or near asbestos, and instead were exposed inadvertently by a family member. That’s what happened to Ann Stadtler. Her family points to asbestos carried into her childhood home on her stepfather’s work clothes for her illness, and blames asbestos-contaminated equipment manufactured by Westinghouse company for her death.

Secondhand Exposure to Asbestos is Increasingly Common in Mesothelioma Claims

Ann Stadtler died of malignant mesothelioma when she was just 76 years old. Her family filed suit against Westinghouse Electric Corporation in the Rhode Island Courts, blaming exposure to asbestos fibers her stepfather, a union insulator brought into their home between 1948 and 1965. Claims like these seek compensation for second hand asbestos exposure and are increasingly common in mesothelioma claims. The family served the company with a motion to compel the production of documents. The company objected and moved for the case against them to be dismissed.

In their mesothelioma lawsuit, the family pointed to the turbines that Westinghouse had manufactured in sold to power stations throughout New England. In their initial response to the filing, Westinghouse provided a list of power stations where their turbines were used and agreed to produce documents related to them.  Months later they changed course and indicated that they would only produce documents “relative to the turbines at the Narragansett Electric Stations, where Charles Ferguson (Mrs. Stadtler’s stepfather) testified he worked on turbines.” The company also filed a motion to have the case against them dismissed.

Court Orders Westinghouse to Provide Information to Mesothelioma Victim’s Family

In response to Westinghouse, Mrs. Stadtler’s family filed a motion to compel Westinghouse to deliver the documents they needed in support of their mesothelioma claim, as well as to fight the motion to have the case dismissed. They supported their need for the information by pointing to what Westinghouse had already admitted about their products, as well as pending litigation against other asbestos companies. The court agreed, noting that any information pertaining to products in place where Mr. Ferguson had worked were relevant to the family’s claim.