Document OzGZyr4pV4XLJEBwbOQBgx9Zp

FILE NAME: Raybestos-Manhattan (RBM) DATE: 1935 Oct 19 DOC#: RBM115 DOCUMENT DESCRIPTION: Letter to Met Life RE Asbestos Dust at North Charleston Plant Bridgeport, Conn. October 19, 133ft Dr* Vi. <7* McConnell, Ar>slt. Medical Director, Industrial Health Section, Metropolit,-,n life Insurance C o $, How Iork City, My dear Dr, HoCeiuie.il] o'J&XLC?: Asbestos Dust at North Charleston Plant, As yon `:rov, our plant, a t North Charleston, as veil as the other Divisions, ht:va been corking with your Corapany for a long time in the -o^jLirin* cf information, nodical and other wise, regarding Asbestos Dust ha.tardr. uxd As boo tools. V.e hnvo had a number of suitr., nc you are aware, for which you hope existed no to prepare, ;.iid at the; last trial, your Hr. fvhroi tea,,if m e , Vo have copanoed on yaur Company to present certain inforn-ition that our attorney, Mr. Julian Mitchell, of Charleston, S. C . d e ; ired, \r.d to vert at - standstill to kr.cn'. v.het to cio and curiy on vlth ti.v.rc suit:;, for I again say we had depended on your Conpany's assist.,net. Naturally, we were very much upset last vuel; when Mr Jefierda rvpvrtec that we couid not expect any court assistance from your department, due to orders you had received fro,-. your taperiorr, We immediately wanted to have you tala over the situation with hr. Mitcuoli, to that he could cc, rnd when they got in to,ioh v^ith uo and. a;>neu v.hat I thought of subpoena ing Mr. Fehnoi, X told them frankly that it looked to me as if that as the only thing 7,0 cou.u do, if v:e were going fo have the help of Mr* Fehnel in these particularly important, cases. It may look odd to you that thi3 subpoena v.cs curved, but mo l l y there was nothing else for us to cu, -.nci I could not, su- tuy other vny out under the circuit tanees, after Hr* HitcheLl had pointed out v.hat it was going to mean to him to have Lir. iVim.el them. I do hope you take this into concicoration and that the assist ance- of Mr. Fchuel tiii bo given us v a ry cheerfully. I can .rucogniaa the- positin', of the* .Insurance com' nany in testifying in Ordinary cases of this Kind, but as I sec it, those particular cases of ours at Charleston really coite into a different category. We carried Cosnensatien and Health Insurance with your Company when these* suits rut* first brought up at Charles ton, and of course, under the policies, *o v*ore not covered against damage suits for Asbostosis. -Dr W, J,, McConnell. a. The Metropolitan Insurance Co., nor no other insurance company in the United Ltatea, hod any data that v/;is worth very much on Asbestos Dust or Asbestosis, and naturally your Company wanted health statistics and information regarding Asbestos Dust on the lungs. Our Company was more than willing to coonerate with . you, and we also induced Johns-Manvi11<; to cooperate, end your Company started with a Dust Survey of o r'mbor or the asbestos plants. When your appropriation for this worn, ran out, you requested that it be carried, on unt'l a nev: appropriation oouid'eo abjured by your Company, and wo did so. Later on, we hired a man, Mr. Binder to work under your control, but at the expense of Johns-Manville and ourselves. This all led us to believe that under the conditions, we would have 7,-our assistance in trying these unfair suits, which would eventual.!y bo benefit to you, ana also have considerable bearing on the Dust racket, about which so much has been published lately. I feel as if your Company has not. taken into consideration all these various factors when turning down our request for Mr. Fehnel'<? pres ence at the-, trials ir. Charleston, Mr, Fehncl being the only man who has been following the details of tno Asbestos.Dust thi-ough all its various ramifications, Naturally, if we could have the attitude the Metropolitan Insurance Co.'s Menicai Depurvaunt would take at this late dat.?, r,a would have liiroc <a specialist arid he would have had all the a,to. which your Company now has, -ji.<0 us you know, v;e have spent lfi.igi;. sums? to make the Charleston Plant an local one, with your assistance. I Co not believe that by Mr, Pehnel tesliiying at Char leston; it will establish a precedent, as it is hardly likely you will hove this tyoe of case ccme up aain for aany years, and I am also certain it is very questionable if you will get the feme amount, of assist m a o from any two companies that you havo been gettinr from Johns-&mviUc unci ourselves, arid moreover, ir was our intention to draw in other asbestos companies in this survey es noon ar the time vros right to bring them in, and this would mean a tremendous amount of information bn Asbestos Duj.t end Asbestos! in the posse:::;! on of the* Metropolitan Insurance Co., who would be the only ones"in tho United States, so far ns vo know, h.uving this in formation. I have been trying to got in touch with my friend, fir. Janes Knvnnagh Vice prerident of the teemopolitn Insurance Co. *to endeavor to have him make ;m appointment with Mr. baker, your President,*so 1 con V> ovt?v this: matter with him very care fully end" thoroughly, one-. 1 hope t.o be able to 00 so ne.xt Tuesday. Unfortunately" I*shall be flvuy the latter pare of this week. Very truly yours, sc-a. President