In an interesting news report about asbestos lawsuits, the Reynolds Tobacco Company was ordered to release lists of people, smokers and employees, who sued Lorillard Inc., due to illnesses from cigarettes and their filters that had asbestos inside.
The company, ordered to release the information by a three-judge panel in Pennsylvania, inherited liability for the company’s past lawsuit when it purchased the company in July 2015. The lists are vital to a case involving a widow of a man who used cigarettes containing micronite filters. Those filters were made with at least a degree of asbestos, explaining his 2014 diagnosis of mesothelioma.
The widow claims that the company and the creator of the cigarettes, Hollingsworth & Vose Co., did not warn consumers that asbestos could potentially be dangerous and was contained inside the filters. The company previously refused to release the lists for her case, claiming that it would violate the confidentiality rights of those listed on it.
Since the plaintiff isn’t looking to obtain medical histories or sensitive information, the appellate court ruled that the company should release the documents for use in her case.
When asbestos affects your health or the health of a loved one, you should have the right to seek compensation. It takes such a long time for mesothelioma to develop that it’s no wonder why so many people are learning about their health struggles in today’s world. While the majority of asbestos exposure happened in workplaces due to roofing and insulation materials, there are still people who struggle with mesothelioma due to exposure to cigarettes and other unusual places. Even they should have a right to seek compensation.