Page Updated January 20, 2026

Shipyard Worker’s Mesothelioma Death Blamed on Dozens of Companies

Page Reviewed and Edited by

Mesothelioma Attorney Paul Danziger

Months before his death from mesothelioma, Joseph B. Hunter, Jr. and his wife Claire filed a personal injury lawsuit against dozens of companies, blaming them for having exposed him to asbestos and seeking compensation for his terminal cancer diagnosis.

Mesothelioma Lawsuit Names Multiple Corporate Defendants

The mesothelioma lawsuit, filed in California Superior Court for Alameda County, targets numerous companies, including American Biltrite, Carrier Corporation, General Electric, Kaiser Gypsum, and Greene Tweed. The couple’s complaint alleges that these companies negligently and carelessly manufactured, sold, or distributed asbestos-containing products while knowing they were dangerous to human health.

Among the violations cited in the couple’s mesothelioma lawsuit are negligence, strict liability, negligent misrepresentation, fraud by non-disclosure, and loss of consortium. These claims reflect the couple’s belief that the companies knew that they were exposing workers to mesothelioma-causing asbestos, but chose not to provide adequate warnings or protections in the interest of continuing to earn profits.

Mesothelioma Victim’s Dual Career Asbestos Exposure

According to the family’s mesothelioma lawsuit, Mr. Hunter’s illness was the result of extensive workplace asbestos exposure that he was subjected to over his lifetime, across two different professions. From 1964 to 1980, he worked at the Todd Shipyard in San Pedro, California, where he regularly worked with and around asbestos-containing products in an environment that was heavily contaminated with the carcinogenic mineral.

During the early 1970s, Mr. Hunter also worked as an electrician on numerous Southern California job sites. His mesothelioma lawsuit emphasizes that the HVAC systems he worked on during this period made significant use of asbestos-containing parts, which created additional toxic exposure throughout his career. This dual occupational exposure to mesothelioma-causing asbestos compounds exacerbated his risk of illness, and is the basis for the couple’s legal claims against the defendants.

Mesothelioma Case Faces Jurisdictional Challenge

When it was originally filed, the mesothelioma lawsuit was confronted with legal action by one of its defendants: Greene Tweed filed a petition to remove the case to federal court, claiming that federal jurisdiction was appropriate in the case. The company’s argument was based on its status as a government contractor responsible for manufacturing parts for U.S. Navy vessels, and that it manufactured those parts according to government specifications. This is a defense strategy that is frequently used in mesothelioma lawsuits involving military applications.

However, on May 16, 2025, Greene Tweed formally withdrew its federal officer defense claim, and the plaintiffs withdrew their request for costs and sanctions against the company and its legal representatives. Court documents indicate the parties stipulated to immediately remand the mesothelioma action back to California Superior Court, where it will proceed in state court alongside claims against the other defendants.

Mesothelioma Victim’s Life Cut Short

Mr. Hunter passed away from his mesothelioma in Ormond Beach, Florida, on December 5, 2025. He was just 79. Born in Glasgow, Scotland, he immigrated to the United States in 1964 at the age of 18, and after his shipyard career, became a Master Electrician, later serving as assistant Manager of Construction at Halifax Hospital for over 20 years.  He is survived by his wife of 45 years, Claire Mealey-Hunter, three sons, three grandchildren, and extended family across Scotland, Canada, and France. The mesothelioma lawsuit will continue posthumously as a wrongful death action on behalf of his estate and surviving family members.