Document by2RbmGw7Doqak7KGgZnq1XDo

FILE NAME: US Gypsum (USG) DATE: October 28, 1937 DOC#: USG019 DOCUMENT DESCRIPTION: 1937 Letter to JJ Cuneo re Wetzel v National Asbestos Manufacturing Company m tw w r-j g 1 ' " : / -V*** / . " > t . *A-, i i - / .__ > . ^ ^ . - - >.c-. ., .. / t * O ctober 28 1937 *.k * ' v . j C i i V i j j j k :.-.-$** . . fs-AK*ci*.?. .. , ^V-A *.* . ; - r .* * J. ; :, - * v ^ - w ^.rr.^rrrv-i . .*. . * ;r^- '. V - * i * ' . . " . . * ' ` i. Sir. John J . Cuneo 921 Bergen Avenue Jersey C ity , H .J. Dear H r. Cuneoi '. '* . ' . . W etzel v . 'N ational A sbestos . M a n u fa c tu rin g Company______ viirviS' -'r*-5*-i ' \ v" I have been out of the c ity fo r the la s t . t h r e e weeks and am J u s t g e t t i n g an o p p o r tu n ity to r e p ly . t o y o u r l e t t e r o f O ctober 8* . . . V .. . . *. . * The U n ite d S t a t e s Gypsum- Company h a s had a g r e a t many s u i t s b ro u g h t a g a i n s t i t b y fo rm e r em ployes c la im in g in ju r y from d u s t c r e a te d in gypsum o p e r a tio n s . The d ise ase o r ailm ent claim ed has been described e ith e r as s i l ic o s i s o r pneum oconiosis, th e l a t t e r being sim ply a general term fo r a co n d itio n o f th e lungs brought about bv inhalin g d u st, b u t n o t n ecessarily a disabling c o n d i tio n . \?e have now t r i e d s i x o f th e s e c a s e s and have been s u c c e s s fu l in d efen d in g a l l o f them w ith th e ex c ep tio n o f one in which a sm a ll v e r d ic t was b ro u g h t i n by th e J u r y , and t h a t c a s e i s now pen d in g on a m otion f o r new t r i a l w hich we e x p e c t w i l l b e g r a n te d . Our defense to th ese cases has been based, f i r s t on th e f a c t th a t th e re was no n eg lig en ce o r b reach of sta tu te in the operation of the p la n t, and, second, th a t th e re was no in ju ry * In connection w ith th e in ju ry q u e s tio n , we have had e x a m in a tio n o f th e p l a i n t i f f s b efo re t r i a l and have a lso been able to prove by ex p erts t h a t th e d u s t c re a te d in gypsum o p e ra tio n s i s n o t in ju rio u s. ,rp. % T ` ' ' * !r* John J . Cuneo * 2 O ctober 23, 1937 . have n o t had occasion to defend any case ' . . . ' b r o u g h t f o r a s b e s t o s i s , w hich i s one o f th e two r e c o g - . n iz ed d ise a se s re s u ltin g from the b re a th in g o f dangerous - d u s t th e o th e r b eing s il ic o s i s * T here is however* . / . c o n s id e ra b le d isa g re em e n t among th e e x p e rts w ith re g a rd t o a s b e s t o 8 i s , and th e r e i s a s p e c i a l stu d y now b e in g . ma d e by Dr* Leroy 0* G ardner o f th e S aranac L a b o ra to rie s , . . S a ra n a c L ak e, Sew Y ork, a t t h e I n s ta n c e o f a number o f - .the a sb e sto s m anufacturing companies* I th in k , by a l l ; m eans, t h a t you sh o u ld t a l k t o him and h i s a s s o c i a t e D r. Sampson w ith re g a rd to th e m ed ical p h ases o f y o u r . c a s e . I t would be e s p e c ia lly v a lu a b le fo r them to have an X -ray o f your p l a i n t i f f K r. T fetzel, and i f under y o u r New J e r s e y law you have a r i g h t to p h y s ic a l e x a n i- n a tio n b efo re t r i a l , you should by a l l means g et th a t exam ination a s soon as p o ssib le and then take th e m atter- up w ith D rs. Gardner and Sampson. .` . ; . % : ..r r J . J . . ^ V.l5.:.> V f. . , ' S h o r tly a f t e r U n ite d S t a t e s Gypsum Company to o k over the N ational A sbestos p la n t, Dr. Gardner and h is s t a f f made a stu d y o f th e c o n d itio n s a t t h a t p la n t w ith re fe re n c e to p o s s ib le d u st h azards* They found certain - c o n d itio n s which they recommended be changed, and those ch a n g es w ere m ade. No p a r t i c u l a r s tu d y was made o f th e o f f i c e f o r c e , as i t was n o t c o n s id e re d t h a t people work in g in th e o f f ic e would be s u b je c te d to any co n d itio n s th a t could be considered hazardous from a d u st sta n d p o in t, and from ay e x p e rie n c e w ith th e c a s e s we have t r i e d , I would n o t a n tic ip a te th a t any r e a l a u th o rity on th e q u estio n ..would c o n s id e r th a t in f re q u e n tly p a ssin g thro u g h o th e r p a rts o f th e p lan t could p o ssib ly produce a case o f asbes to sis. . There is a g reat d ea l about the t r i a l of these cases th a t I could not hope to w rite in a l e t t e r , and of c o u rs e o u r c l i e n t U n ite d S t a t e s Gypsum Company i s i n t e r e s te d in s e e in g t h i s c a se s u c c e s s f u l ly d e fe n d e d . I am wondering w hether you plan to be in Chicago In th e n ear fu tu re and, i f so , suggest i t might be w ell f 8 you plan to spend some tim e w ith me and d is c u s s th e d e t a i l s o f th e c a s e . We h ave a g r e a t d e a l o f in fo rm a tio n h e re on th e s e d u st ca ses, and I should be very glad to d iscu ss i t w ith you. ( C o p tic Yours very tr u ly , //