An 81-year-old Navy veteran and his wife are seeking justice after he was recently diagnosed with mesothelioma. Richard Todd was diagnosed in June 2025 after decades of asbestos exposure starting with his naval aviation service aboard the USS Randolph from 1964 to1968, automotive repair, and nearly 30 years as a welder.
Mesothelioma Victim Names 25 Companies as Defendants
Mr. and Mrs. Todd’s mesothelioma lawsuit is seeking compensation from 25 different companies that they accuse of having exposed him to asbestos-containing products over the course of his career, from 1958 through 2009. The named companies range from 84 Lumber and General Electric to Joy Global Surface Mining Inc. and B.F. Goodrich. They cite a wide range of asbestos-containing products that he was exposed to, including welding rods, automotive brakes and clutches, aircraft parts, boilers, pumps, insulation, gaskets, valves, and pipe covering.
The couple, who are residents of Dillsburg, Pennsylvania, filed their mesothelioma lawsuit in the Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas, asserting that his exposure began in 1958, when he worked as an automobile mechanic at Harbold Esso Service and was exposed to asbestos-containing automotive brakes, clutches, and gaskets during routine repair work.
From 1964 through 1968, he served as an aviation machinist mate aboard the USS Randolph, where he was exposed to boilers, pumps, insulation, gaskets, valves, packing, engine gaskets, aircraft brakes, and other aircraft parts onboard the vessel. He also worked on shore when aircraft were brought into hangars for repairs. Mr. Todd also performed shade tree automotive and tractor work throughout his entire life, resulting in additional exposure to asbestos from brakes, clutches, and gaskets on automobiles and farm equipment.
Mesothelioma Risk Intensified During Welding Career
According to their mesothelioma claim, the Todds believe that the hazards he faced throughout his life peaked between 1969 and 1997, when he worked for Allis-Chalmers/Voith Hydro as a welder and laborer in the hydro turbine department. They point to his exposure to asbestos from welding rods, welding materials, blankets, gloves, cranes, crane brakes, pipe covering, insulation, and other equipment.
The mesothelioma victim’s occupational exposure continued in 1997 when he left Voith Hydro to work as a welder and fabricator at Worthington Steel Plant until 2009. They also note that his five decades of cumulative asbestos exposure included a time between his Navy discharge in 1968 and starting work at Allis-Chalmers in 1969, when he worked as a welder and laborer for various jobs, including the Pennsylvania Highway Department, repairing roads. The couple is seeking compensation for the damages that he suffered, and for her anticipated loss.
If you or someone you love has been diagnosed with mesothelioma, the Patient Advocates at Mesothelioma.net are here to help. Contact us today at 1-800-692-8608 to learn more.
