Lawsuit alleges Minnesota man diagnosed with mesothelioma cancer from asbestos on factory worker father’s clothing
A lawsuit filed by a Minnesota man who was diagnosed with mesothelioma cancer caused by exposure to asbestos fibres that were allegedly brought home on his father’s clothing is scheduled to begin trial in May. The lawsuit was filed on behalf of Gene “Randy” Backe, who was diagnosed with mesothelioma in 2018 and later died from the disease.
According to the family’s lawsuit, Randy Backe’s father worked at the Conwed Corporation’s factory in Cloquet, Minnesota from 1935 through 1975. Some of the products that were manufactured at the factory included mineral board and ceiling tiles that contained asbestos. As a result, there were significant amounts of asbestos inside the plant, to which workers were regularly exposed.
Backe’s father was a millwright who was responsible for fixing machines in an area of the factory that was heavily contaminated with asbestos. Backe himself worked at the factory for less than two years before college.
Backe’s family alleges that his father came home with a thick layer of asbestos particles on his clothing everyday. Although Backe’s mother cleaned the asbestos from her husband’s clothing each night, Backe was regularly exposed to asbestos from the fibers that his father regularly brought home on his work clothes As a result of this exposure, the family’s lawsuit alleges, Backe himself was diagnosed with mesothelioma cancer decades later.
Shortly after Backe was diagnosed with mesothelioma in 2018, his family filed a lawsuit against the Conwed Corporation. The lawsuit alleged that the company was responsible for causing their father to be diagnosed with this aggressive cancer for failing to properly warn workers or protect them against the dangers of asbestos exposure. Backe died from mesothelioma before the lawsuit could go to trial.
Dozens of Lawsuits Over Conwed Workers Asbestos Exposure
The Backe family’s asbestos lawsuit against Conwed was originally scheduled to go to trial in February. Conwed attempted to have the lawsuit dismissed by claiming that the company had moved out of state decades ago, but that motion was rejected by the trial court.
Prior to Backe’s lawsuit, Conwed had faced a number of mesothelioma lawsuits filed on behalf of former workers at the company’s Cloquet factory. At least 39 lawsuits involving asbestos exposure had been filed against the company since the 1980s.
In addition to the dozens of mesothelioma and asbestos lawsuits filed by former workers at Conwed’s Cloquet, Minnesota plant, thousands more of the plant’s employees were allegedly exposed to asbestos while working there.
Minnesota state health records have reported that the rate of lung cancer in Cloquet is 36% higher than the state average, and the rate of mesothelioma in the town is 70-times higher than elsewhere in the state of Minnesota. A study conducted by the Minnesota Department of Health found that 30% of Conwed workers at the company’s Cloquet plant tested positive for asbestos-related abnormalities in their lungs.
Free Legal Consultation for Victims of Mesothelioma Cancer
If you or a loved one were exposed to asbestos and diagnosed with mesothelioma, asbestosis, lung cancer, or other diseases that are linked to asbestos exposure, you may be eligible to file a lawsuit or a claim with an asbestos trust fund. The first step in taking legal action is to speak with an experienced asbestos attorney to learn more about your legal options.
To schedule your free legal consultation, contact the lawyers at the law firm of Hissey, Mulderig & Friend by calling toll-free at 1-866-806-8117. You can also contact us by filling out our free case evaluation form, which is located on the right side of this page for desktop users and at the bottom of the page for mobile users.
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