Louisiana Woman’s Mesothelioma Blamed on Lifetime of Second-Hand Asbestos Exposure

A mesothelioma lawsuit that was recently remanded to federal court illustrates the significant dangers posed by second-hand asbestos exposure. The suit accuses Avondale Industries of negligently causing Lana Waguespack’s death by exposing her to the carcinogen despite the fact that she had never worked for the company. Her suit claims that instead of her having been exposed directly, she was sickened by asbestos carried home on the clothing worn by her father, brother, and ex-husband when they worked for the shipyard. 

Mesothelioma Lawsuit Points to Asbestos Exposure Starting in 1944

The case, originally filed by Lana Waguespack in September of 2019 after she was diagnosed with the rare, fatal form of cancer, was joined by her heirs after her death just one month later. In it she attributed her mesothelioma diagnosis to having been exposed from the time of her birth in 1944 until at least 1971, first from the clothing worn by her father when he worked at Avondale, and later also by the clothing worn by her brother and her ex-husband when they each also worked in the company’s shipyards. This type of exposure is referred to as carry-home or second-hand exposure, and it has been blamed for numerous asbestos-related deaths, particularly among women.  

Mesothelioma Lawsuit Removed to Federal Court

Though Mrs. Waguespack died of mesothelioma in October of 2019, her case is continuing to make its way through the court system, in part because Avondale filed a motion to have the litigation moved out of the Louisiana court system and to the federal courts. The basis for this removal was that many of the vessels that the men worked on during the years cited in the case were being built at the request of the federal government. Though the family argued to have the case remain within their local judicial system, judges hearing the shipyard’s motion agreed that the company had met its legal obligations in the process of removing the case to federal court. The family will continue to seek justice in this new venue.