April 30, 2013 – Former employee of the Upstate New York-based International Paper Company who developed lung cancer as a result of decades-long exposure to asbestos at the workplace files lawsuit against manufacturers and suppliers of the cancer-causing asbestos products he worked with.
FORMER EMPLOYEE OF THE UPSTATE NEW YORK-BASED INTERNATIONAL PAPER COMPANY WHO DEVELOPED LUNG CANCER AS A RESULT OF DECADES-LONG EXPOSURE TO ASBESTOS AT THE WORKPLACE FILES LAWSUIT AGAINST MANUFACTURERS AND SUPPLIERS OF THE CANCER-CAUSING ASBESTOS PRODUCTS HE WORKED WITH.
SCHENECTADY, New York, April 30, 2013 – Levy Konigsberg LLP (“LK”), a nationally-acclaimed asbestos litigation law firm, whom U.S. News & World Report recently named 2013 Law Firm of the Year in Product Liability, recently filed a lawsuit1 on behalf of Moriah Center, NY, resident, Norman Westover in the New York Supreme Court’s 4th Judicial District in Schenectady to recover damages for Mr. Westover’s asbestos-related lung cancer.
Mr. Westover was exposed to dangerous asbestos fibers on a daily basis during his twenty-plus-year career at the International Paper Mill located in Ticonderoga, NY. International Paper purchased the pulp mill, which had been operating on the western shores of Lake Champlain near the Vermont border since the late 19th century, in 1926. In the late 1960s, International Paper began decommissioning the original mill and, in 1971, opened a new mill at the location which is still operating today. The mill produces 850 tons of paper a day, employs approximately 600 workers, and contracts with 650 loggers and truckers in New York and Vermont.
International Paper was formed in 1898 upon the merger of 18 paper mills in the northeast. The company was responsible for supplying 60% of the newsprint in the country. International Paper’s Hudson River Mill, located in nearby Corinth, where the Sacandaga River joins the Hudson, was a major pioneer in the development of the modern paper industry in the late 19th century. In the early 20th century, the Hudson River Mill was one of International Paper’s largest plants and served both as the company’s principal office and a place where paper workers helped shape the direction of the industry’s early labor movement.
During his tenure at International Paper, Mr. Westover worked in both the original and new mill and he held a variety of positions that exposed him to asbestos fibers used in connection with mill machinery, including, but not limited to, cutters, dryers, rollers, boilers, pumps, and valves. Mr. Westover was also exposed to asbestos that was used in an abundance to insulate component parts of the original and new mill and the related piping and wiring.
Mr. Westover’s case is not an isolated incident. Unfortunately, many of the workers at paper mills and industrial facilities located near New York’s High Peaks Region and points south are suffering the consequences of working with deadly asbestos fibers during their careers.
In addition to reported cases from the International Paper Mill in Ticonderoga, there are numerous reported cases from the nearby Finch Pruyn Paper Mill, located in Glens Falls, the Hudson River Mill in Corinth, and the Hollingsworth & Vose Mill located in Greenwich, New York. Due to the long latency of asbestos diseases, many workers from these plants that retired years ago are only now being diagnosed with asbestos lung cancer, mesothelioma, and/or asbestosis.
lung cancer, or asbestosis as a result of their unnecessary exposure to asbestos and asbestos-containing products. These diseases may have been prevented if the companies profiting from the sale and/or use of asbestos products shared the knowledge they had concerning its dangers to its customers or end-users.
Workers who were exposed to asbestos at these and other job sites located throughout New York State can seek the expertise of the New York mesothelioma lawyers at LK for possible legal representation. LK’s history of obtaining numerous landmark and record-setting verdicts and nationwide recognition makes it the first choice for many victims suffering from mesothelioma, lung cancer, and asbestosis who were exposed to asbestos in New York. LK has offices located in Albany, New York, to provide Upstate New York workers with access to the best legal representation for asbestos injuries.
If you or your family member has an asbestos-related disease, you should get in touch with an experienced asbestos attorney at LK right away to determine if you have a case. For a free consultation, please call our local Upstate NY offices at (518) 871-1627 or our 24/7 toll-free national asbestos hotline at 1-800-MESO-LAW (1-800-637-6529) or submit an online inquiry at www.levylaw.com.
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