Products Liability Law Reporter

Clarence Wilson Sr. worked as a stevedore laborer for various shipping and stevedoring companies from 1958 to 1997. Until 1975, he was exposed to significant asbestos fibers and dust while unloading and loading asbestos cargoes containing raw asbestos fiber, as well as asbestos-containing products on the decks and in the holds of ships and on the wharves at the Port of New Orleans. He also was exposed to asbestos dust from work performed by contractors retained to tear out and install asbestos pipe insulation. At age 82, Wilson was diagnosed as having mesothelioma.

He sued multiple companies for which he had worked, contractors, and others, alleging the defendants failed to reveal and knowingly concealed the dangers of handling asbestos cargoes, failed to provide necessary protection, and failed to warn of the risks of bystander exposure to asbestos. The plaintiff argued that he had unloaded burlap sacks containing raw asbestos that were frequently broken and covered with asbestos fibers.

The parties settled for a confidential amount.

Citation: Wilson v. Cooper/T. Smith Stevedoring Co., No. 20-1730 (La. Dist. Ct. Orleans Parish 2022).

Plaintiff counsel: AAJ members Scott R. Bickford and Spencer Doody, both of New Orleans.