Joseph Morton was diagnosed with asbestos-related lung cancer in 2024 after having been exposed to asbestos throughout his life. His exposure came through his own work exposure and childhood secondary exposure to asbestos that his father carried home on his clothing after work. In January, he filed a petition for damages in the Parish of Orleans in Louisiana, seeking damages from former employers that he blames for negligence and premises liability, and from suppliers, manufacturers, and distributors that he blames for having placed defective, dangerous, contaminated products into the market.
Lung Cancer Victim Cites Long List of Asbestos-contaminated Workplaces
In his filing, Mr. Morton presents a long list of former employers in whose workplace he was exposed to asbestos. Starting from when he worked as a line worker for Hunt Foods from 1960 to 1964, then as a laborer/carpenter/machinist for The Boeing Company at the NASA Michoud Assembly Facility from 1964 to 1969, and in 1971 as a job development specialist for Mantex, Inc. at the notorious Avondale Shipyard. He points to dangerously high levels of asbestos fibers from having used, handled, or been in the vicinity of others using asbestos or asbestos-containing products. His list of defendants also includes the various companies that had contracts for construction, maintenance, and repair in those locations.
The asbestos-related lung cancer victim also notes that he was exposed to harmful levels of asbestos through his father’s work. Joseph Morton had been a longshoreman from the 1940s to 1975 at various wharfs in the area of the Port of New Orleans, for various employers, and had carried asbestos-containing dust home on his body, his clothing, and in the family vehicle.
Lawsuit Points to Duties and Responsibilities to Provide Safe Workplaces
As is often the case in mesothelioma and lung cancer lawsuits, Mr. Morton accuses the defendants of failing in their duty and responsibilities to provide a safe workplace despite knowing of the dangers of the workplace they provided. He points to failures to ventilate work areas, failures to warn or provide safety equipment, failures to institute safety procedures for both him and his father’s workplaces, and failure to warn of the risks of asbestosis, pleural disease, mesothelioma, and lung cancer from exposure to asbestos dust.
He is seeking damages for his physical pain and suffering, medical expenses, lost earnings, mental anguish, and loss of enjoyment of life, as well as for court costs.
If you or someone you love has been diagnosed with mesothelioma or any other asbestos-related disease, the Patient Advocates at Mesothelioma.net can help. Contact us today at 1-800-692-8608 to learn more.
