After years of both he and his father before him working as a millwright and laborer, Barney Horton, Jr. was diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma. In November, he and his wife Linda filed a complaint against multiple companies and manufacturers that they blame for having exposed him and his father to asbestos, including General Electric Company, Ford Motor Company, Honeywell International, Inc., Deere & Company, and others. Last month Mr. Horton died, but his estate is continuing his case.
Mesothelioma Victim Asserts Occupational and Secondary Exposure to Asbestos
According to the Kentucky couple’s claim, both the mesothelioma victim and his father, Barney Atwood Horton, Sr., were employed in industries that caused the younger man to have been exposed to asbestos, both occupationally and in the family household when he was growing up. They point to friction products he installed and removed when performing automotive and tractor repair as another source of exposure.
Mr. Horton was diagnosed with mesothelioma in May of 2024. The claim filed with the Jefferson Circuit Court in Kentucky says that he worked as a laborer and millwright beginning in 1966, at multiple locations and that his father worked as a millwright for most of his career, including when Mr. Horton was a child living in his father’s home. He blamed his diagnosis of mesothelioma on exposure to asbestos products during his work as a millwright, from his exposure to his father’s clothing, hair, and skin that was contaminated from his work as a millwright, and from the friction products he worked with throughout his life.
Mesothelioma Lawsuit Accuses Asbestos Companies of Negligence
In seeking compensation for the damages that they both have suffered, the mesothelioma victim and his wife accused the companies of failure to warn, strict liability in the design and manufacture of the asbestos-containing products he was exposed to and worked with, failure to exercise ordinary care, and OSHA and KOSHA violations. They also sought loss of consortium and punitive damages against the companies for malicious, willful, and wanton conduct and gross negligence.
In the face of Mr. Horton’s death from mesothelioma on March 9, 2025, the couple is awaiting the assignment of an executor for his estate to be named and substituted as plaintiff in the case.
If you or someone you love has been diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma, the Patient Advocates at Mesothelioma.net are here to help you get justice. Contact us today at 1-800-692-8608 to learn more.
