Johns-Manville: What does a 1932 Lawsuit Claiming Death from Asbestos Look Like (Paul Stepka, RIP).

The asbestos wrongful death claim by the Estate of Paul Stepka filed in January 1932 against Johns-Manville in the New Jersey Supreme Court was not the first such case to be filed, but it is a good representation of what JM knew at that time. I grabbed it from the Motley 1000 documents put together by the JM legal department. This means, of course, that Ron Motley and his team in the early 1980s were using this lawsuit as part of their cases against JM and other asbestos manufacturers.

Certainly, it is better to read what was actually filed rather than rely on a more modern date summary or discussion.

This was one of the twelve cases settled by JM for a combined total of $30,000 shortly after it was filed along with a confidentiality agreement that prohibited the Plaintiff attorney from filing any more cases.

As stated in paragraph 3:

The said defendant employed the intestate at the time and place above set forth in its manufacture of said asbestos products, and the said defendant not only knew, but should have known, that the said asbestos products contained certain dangerous, insidious and harmful agencies composed of asbestos fibers and other particles that were destructive to life and health in the human body, when brought into closed contact with same.

Pretty tough to deny knowledge by JM as of 1932 that asbestos had health related problems that needed to be addressed.

Rather than type what was said in the Complaint, the following two pages which are easy to read.

Pretty bad stuff.

Let me know what you think, either by leaving a comment or by sending me an email at TheAsbestosBlog@gmail.com. Thanks. Marty