Two families facing the challenges of malignant mesothelioma have asked a North Carolina court to allow them to combine their asbestos claims against 3M Company, Dow Chemical, General Electric, and others. Both accuse the companies of exposing their loved ones to asbestos. Saying that their “cases are about as similar as any two cases could possibly be,” the families argue that since their claims both involve exposure in the same place and at the same time, “the burden on the court, jurors and parties can be significantly reduced through consolidation.”
Motion for Consolidation Would Combine Mesothelioma Claims
The two mesothelioma lawsuits are remarkably similar, with the most striking difference being that one of the victims has died and the other is still fighting his disease. Clarence Greene’s story is being told by his widow Jane Hale Greene after his 2019 death, while Augustus Adams and his wife Diane continue living with the disease. The Greenes had been married for nearly 70 years when he died.
Both men had worked at a Kingston, North Carolina DuPont facility from the 1950s through the 1980s, and both blame their mesothelioma on asbestos they were exposed to at that plant. Rather than burdening the court system by filing identical lawsuits against the same defendants using the same evidence and expert witnesses, the two families have filed a motion for consolidation that would allow them to combine their claims into a single lawsuit.
Lawsuit Accuses Companies of Negligently Causing Mesothelioma
In addition to blaming the asbestos companies for the men’s mesothelioma, both families have also accused MetLife Insurance of conspiring to hide the dangers of asbestos. The families have not stated the exact amount that they are seeking in compensation but are asserting that “The interests of judicial economy, and the parties’ convenience and expense all heavily favor consolidation by allowing them to combine the two claims into one.” All parties are awaiting a decision by the federal judge overseeing the case.
If you or someone you love has been affected by malignant mesothelioma, the Patient Advocates at Mesothelioma.net can help. Contact us today at 1-800-692-8608 to learn more.
