Joseph Raymond Steib, Sr. lost his wife of 43 years to mesothelioma that he blames on workplace asbestos he unwittingly carried into their family home. Elaine Weber Steib was diagnosed with the rare form of cancer in April 2024 and died just two months later. The former shipyard worker filed a wrongful death claim against Eagle Inc., whose asbestos-containing insulation products he was constantly exposed to over his four decades of employment at Avondale Shipyards.
Mesothelioma Widower’s Lawsuit Survives Asbestos Company’s Attempt to Dismiss Case
Mr. Steib’s mesothelioma lawsuit claims that the asbestos-containing insulation products that Eagle supplied and installed at Avondale contaminated his work clothes with deadly fibers that he then carried home, exposing his wife. From 1968 to 2011, he’d worked as a tack welder, pipefitter, and foreman, performing overtime and repair work aboard cargo ships where he cleaned engine rooms and worked around insulators installing asbestos-containing pipe insulation.
In response to Mr. Steib’s mesothelioma claim, Eagle filed a motion to have the case dismissed, arguing that there was no evidence he’d ever worked with or around any Eagle product and emphasizing that he hadn’t identified Eagle in his deposition, didn’t identify the supplier of insulation materials used at Avondale, and didn’t know what company had supplied insulation for the ships on which he’d worked. Despite these objections, U.S. District Judge Greg Gerard Guidry denied the company’s motion, finding sufficient evidence that Steib had been exposed to Eagle’s products during his four decades at Avondale Shipyards and inadvertently carried deadly fibers from those products home to his wife on his contaminated work clothing.
Judge Rules that Testimony Supported Take-Home Exposure Claims
According to Justice Guidry, Mr. Steib’s testimony about his work, combined with historical witness testimony, created sufficient circumstantial evidence for the mesothelioma case to proceed to trial, writing, “This is not evidence that Eagle products were present somewhere at Avondale in a general sense; it is evidence that Eagle products were present in the specific shipboard environments where Mr. Steib described performing his work.” Steib had testified that he performed weekend overtime work on ships throughout his entire career at Avondale, including while assigned to the shipfitting department and after becoming a foreman and superintendent, and that during this shipboard work, he continued working around insulation activities in engine rooms and other confined spaces.
Testimony from multiple former Avondale workers confirmed that Eagle’s half-round pipe insulation was used by insulators aboard LASH vessels and in engine rooms during the 1970s—the same type of vessel, work environment, and product Steib described working on. Several witnesses testified that Eagle products were present on every ship they worked during that period and that installation and cleanup created visible dust that contaminated workers’ clothing. Expert testimony from industrial hygienists and medical experts further supported Steib’s take-home exposure theory. Mr. Steib’s pursuit of justice will continue through the court system.
If you or someone you love has been diagnosed with mesothelioma, the Patient Advocates at Mesothelioma.net can help. Contact us today at 1-800-692-8608 to learn more.
