Asbestos, Mesothelioma, Navy, Behrmann

This entry was posted in Admiralty, Jones Act & Maritime Case Watch℠ Mesothelioma & Asbestos and tagged and ABB arc chutes asbestos asbestos-containing arc chutes circuit breakers control panels Cutler Hammer electricians' mate general electric journeyman lockheed shipyard meriden mesothelioma Square D switching devices tacoma tod shipyard u.s. navy washington on by (updated 1078 days ago)

Asbestos, Mesothelioma, Navy, Behrmann: A case in the United States District Court, W.D. Washington, Tacoma (1.26.2021), ruled on a motion for summary judgment.

The Asbestos, Mesothelioma, Navy, Behrmann case is about defendants motion for summary judgment. This matter comes before the Court on Defendant Meriden Molded Plastic, Inc.’s Motion for Summary Judgment. Plaintiff alleges both that asbestos contained in products manufactured by Defendant caused his mesothelioma and that Defendant is liable for failure to warn about the dangers of asbestos. Defendant’s motion should be denied, without prejudice.

  • From the actual case – “Plaintiff, Ronald H. Behrmann, worked on ships for nearly 30 years. Dkts. 177 and 194. First, while serving in the U.S. Navy, and later while working in the Todd and Lockheed Shipyards in Seattle, Washington. Id. Plaintiff now has mesothelioma and brings this action against various companies, including Meriden, arguing that asbestos in their products caused it. The facts here will be limited to alleged exposure from products manufactured by Meriden.
  • Plaintiff joined the U.S. Navy in 1958 and served as an electrician’s mate until 1962. Dkt. 194. He then worked for a brief time at the Todd Shipyard and from 1962 until he retired in 1988 at the Lockheed Shipyard. Id. Plaintiff began at Lockheed as a Journeyman electrician. As a journeyman, he worked on electrical components on various ships at Lockheed, including switching devices, circuit breakers, control panels, and other devices that include a part called an arc chute, some of which contained asbestos. Plaintiff was promoted numerous times and as a supervisor, although he no longer worked directly on electrical devices, he continued to work near and to supervise others working on devices containing arc chutes. Mr. Behrmann continued to work primarily on ships in this supervisory capacity until the early 1980s when he was again promoted, and his duties shifted to long-range planning.
  • Meriden manufactures arc chutes. Dkt. 177. Arc chutes are a component part used within other equipment, so Plaintiff does not allege that Meriden sold these parts directly to Lockheed. Instead, Plaintiff asserts that other companies, including co-Defendants General Electric, Square D, Cutler Hammer, and ABB, used Meriden asbestos-containing arc chutes in their products, which were then sold to Lockheed, where Plaintiff was exposed over the course of his career. Dkt. 194 at 7.
  • Defendant’s motion should be denied, without prejudice.”

For more information on this case related to possible asbestos exposure, mesothelioma and other potential problems associated with asbestos exposure (e.g., asbestosis, cancer, lung cancer, mesothelioma…), please follow this link: Asbestos, Mesothelioma, Navy, Behrmann.

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