It is unusual for a mesothelioma lawsuit to name the U.S. Navy as a defendant, but in the case filed by the family of Geraldine Perkins, it is the federal government that’s accused of negligence. According to the victim’s family, the Navy failed to adhere to mandatory asbestos safety precautions when Mrs. Perkins’ husband was working at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard 50 years ago, and the dust he carried home on his clothing was what led to her sickness and death.
Mesothelioma Victim’s Husband Worked at Navy Shipyard
Geraldine Rabb Perkins died of pleural mesothelioma in 2020, and her five adult daughters are pursuing justice on her behalf. The women have been fighting to have their case heard for years, and last week their efforts were rewarded as opening arguments were heard in a Seattle federal courtroom.
The daughters’ mesothelioma lawsuit describes their parents’ home near the shipyard in the mid-1970s, when their father, Harang Joseph Perkins, served as a Navy machinist performing removal and installation of shipboard asbestos. He would go home each night covered with asbestos dust, which their mother breathed in when she was laundering his clothes.
Daughters’ Mesothelioma Website Accuses U.S. Navy of Negligence
The Navy has argued that Mrs. Perkins did not have mesothelioma, that its conduct in the early 1970s was reasonable based on the existing knowledge of asbestos at the time, and that her exposure came from other locations. They also claim that they should not be held responsible for her mesothelioma because the asbestos safeguards in place in the shipyard were only advisory, making the Navy exempt from claims under the Federal Tort Claims Act.
In response, the mesothelioma claimants say that the safety precautions were mandatory and that the Navy’s failure to adhere to them led to Mrs. Perkins’ mesothelioma death. The attorney representing Mrs. Perkins’ family said that the mandates included requiring both monitoring of the air in the Navy Yard City neighborhood where they lived and providing workers with disposable coveralls. They claim that both actions would have protected Mrs. Perkins from the asbestos fibers that killed her. The case will continue this week.
If you or someone you love has been sickened by asbestos and you’d like more information about your legal rights, the Patient Advocates at Mesothelioma.net can help. Contact us today at 1-800-692-8608.
