A Trust Fund Victims Can't Trust
Fred Magee’s story
Bogalusa, Louisiana. Fred was a once-vibrant man who enjoyed his retirement years visiting with his grandchildren, taking care of his dogs, and taking pride in maintaining his home. Fred had no previous health problems when he was diagnosed with mesothelioma, a terminal cancer that is caused only by asbestos.
Fred was first exposed to asbestos in 1939, when he worked in a dry cleaning shop. His job required him to change asbestos-containing pads on the press machines. He then worked at Todd Shipyard, Bethlehem Steel, and the Brooklyn Navy Yard as a ship-fitter, welder, and iron worker from 1941 to 1966. While working on many U.S. Navy vessels, Fred was repeatedly exposed to a variety of asbestos-containing products, not only in his own work, but also through the work of others maintaining ship machinery. He was never adequately made aware of potential risks to his health due to exposure to asbestos.
After he was diagnosed with mesothelioma, Fred’s health deteriorated quickly. Due to the debilitating nature of his disease, he spent the last several months of his life in a nursing home. Fred’s son and family incurred great expense in caring for him, but they say that the financial impact could not compare to what they have endured emotionally, watching him die.
How would the asbestos bailout bill hurt Fred’s family?
Fred’s son, Frederick T. Magee, Sr., has filed a case which is pending in New York Supreme Court. If the proposed asbestos bill is enacted, his case would be wiped out and he would have to start the claims process again from the beginning under the proposed asbestos trust fund.
