On Sept. 9, Tennessee’s Supreme Court ruled that the family of a young woman who died from mesothelioma cancer due to asbestos on her father’s work clothes can seek damages from Alcoa, her father’s employer. The decision, which upholds an appellate court’s ruling, states that the defendant Alcoa should have foreseen that its failure to prevent asbestos from leaving the worksite would pose great harm to others it did not employ.

An Employer’s Duty to Protect Employees’ Children from Asbestos Cancer

The Court noted that other states’ courts have not ruled similarly, on the grounds that plaintiffs who are not themselves employees of an asbestos company cannot get damages from the company because no special relationship exists between an employer and a non-employee. However, the Tennessee Supreme Court stated that the facts of the present case, Doug Satterfield vs. Breeding Insulation Co. et al, were significantly different, and that negligence laws among the states differ.

Amanda Satterfield’s father worked at the Alcoa plant in Alcoa, Tennessee during the 1970s and early 80s. The complaint claimed that Alcoa knew of the asbestos dangers but did not warn employees of the risks or take measures to reduce asbestos exposure of the employees and their families.

(Source: www.businessinsurance.com)

Have you been exposed to asbestos? If you have been impacted by an asbestos cancer illness such as mesothelioma cancer, contact mesothelioma treatment center today to learn your legal rights.