ST. LOUIS — A surviving heir is suing manufacturers, citing alleged negligence.
Craig Whitfield, as surviving heir of Evelyn Burnett, filed a complaint Oct. 2 in the St. Louis 22nd Judicial Circuit Court against Crown, Cork and Seal Co. Inc., CSR Ltd., Union Carbide Corp. and others, alleging they breached their duties to exercise reasonable care for the safety of others.
According to the complaint, the plaintiff alleges that during Burnett's employment from 1971 to 2008 in St. Louis and elsewhere, she was exposed to and inhaled or ingested asbestos from fibers emanating from certain products manufactured, sold, distributed or installed by defendants. The plaintiff claims that on April 15, 2013, she became aware that she developed lung cancer, and that the disease was wrongfully caused. She died on Oct. 19, 2014.
The plaintiff holds the defendants responsible because they allegedly negligently included asbestiform fibers in their products when adequate substitutes were available and failed to provide adequate warnings and instructions concerning the dangers of working with or around products containing asbestiform fibers.
The plaintiff requests a trial by jury and seeks compensatory damages of more than $25,000 and any further relief as the court deems just and equitable. He is represented by Laci M. Whitley of Flint Law Firm LLC in Edwardsville.
St. Louis 22nd Judicial Circuit Court case number 1722-CC11448