A Trust Fund Victims Can't Trust
Ray F. Rando’s story
Metairie, Louisiana. Ray worked as a pipefitter and welder for over 20 years. Ray began his career at the age of 19 and worked for several companies, including DuPont, Murphy Oil, Tenneco, Marathon, and the Waterford Nuclear Plant. Ray’s profession exposed him to pipe covering, asbestos block insulation, asbestos cement, gaskets, asbestos pipe, and a variety of asbestos-insulated boilers. In addition, throughout his career Ray worked around other employees, such as insulating contractors, laborers, carpenters, and boilermakers who handled asbestos products.
In 1997, Ray was diagnosed with pleural disease. By September 2005, Ray’s condition worsened and he was diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma, a terminal cancer caused only by asbestos. The mesothelioma caused fluid to accumulate around Ray’s lungs. Ray had to have a tube placed into the chest cavity surrounding his lungs to drain the fluid. Ray started chemotherapy in November 2005, and he is still undergoing treatment.
Malignant mesothelioma is a painful, always fatal disease. Ray is only 59 years old.
Ray can no longer enjoy his hobbies. Ray is an antique car owner and his painful condition prohibits him from traveling to the car shows he loves.
Ray is the foundation of a close-knit family, including two daughters and one granddaughter. Since his diagnosis, Ray and his family have suffered in trying to deal with his terminal illness.
How would the asbestos bailout bill hurt Ray’s family?
In September 2005, Ray filed his case in Louisiana. Due to Hurricane Katrina, Ray’s case is still awaiting a trial date. The proposed asbestos bill would prohibit Ray’s case and he would be forced to begin the claims process again under the new asbestos trust fund.
