December 22nd, 2006

The Ohio Court of Appeals has revived a legal case against the General Motor Corp., which was originally filed by a man that is dying from asbestos related cancer. The retired Ohio electrician had his original case dismissed by a Cleveland judge, but this has now been revived by the Court of Appeals.

Lee C. Rettig was an electrician and performed repair work at GM plants between 1953 and 1990, where it is alleged he was exposed to asbestos, which then resulted in him contracting asbestos related cancer. The plaintiff claims that he contracted mesothelioma from asbestos exposure from the steam pipe insulation and wiring.

The Court of Appeals said that the General Motor Corp. was well aware of the dangers of asbestos, and should have warned workers about the potential dangers of their job and the risk of being exposed to asbestos while working.

Rettig’s original case had been dismissed because the lower court had stated that the job of an electrician was a dangerous one by nature and therefore a specific company could not be held responsible for the dangers of the job. However, Rettig had argued that he knew nothing about the dangers and risks associated with asbestos.