March 30th, 2006

A $20 million asbestos lawsuit against ALCOA Inc. has been dismissed by a Blunt County judge after being filed by a man who alleged secondary exposure to asbestos caused the death of his daughter. Doug Satterfield, a resident of Blunt County, filed the suit after his daughter Amanda died.

The lawsuit sought $20 million in total, $10 million for compensation and $10 million for punitive damages. The lawsuit was originally filed by the deceased before her death, as she claimed that her father had been exposed to asbestos in his line of work and she had been exposed to it because of this and had contracted the asbestos related cancer mesothelioma.

The lawsuit alleged: “Amanda Satterfield was exposed to harmful asbestos dust and fibers from the day of her birth from her father's use of asbestos products and inadvertent introduction of dust and fibers in their home and personal environments.”

In his ruling, the judge wrote: “The Court's heart goes out to the Satterfield family and to the friends, relatives and acquaintances of Amanda Nicole Satterfield. It is not, however, sympathy for this fine family that this Court can consider; the legal issues are the only issues to be considered by this Court.”