Document pLDN0QqpKjarZqvdnpR4OxkD
FILE NAME: Early Asbestos Damage Suits (EADS) DATE: 1929
DOC#: EADS012
DOCUMENT DESCRIPTION: Documents from Case of Robert Marshall for Helen Marshall
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SUPR*E4ME
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,t,he `inn" " roue na,tu.re of~ sru.d. S.OMERSETti CjOUNTY. * -
^ROBERT'ICARSHAIiradminis^ra^orl1' 0B^ e ad prosequendum of the r i g h t s , , goods, c h a t t e l s and c r e d i t s o f ' :
` Hc-uE.-L. EcN; -.L. IARSHALL, ood-e-jc ejaVs. e0d , cl,os;* jfo.viia
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red, Pculea i :n ittiefaf C*a^te jio .AvC*TlIO.N=ATcf.uLArWm_<.o c o n t a c t.
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JOffiiS-MAliVILLE .CORPORATION,, a . .
' c o r p o r a t i o n o f the S t a t e '1of- - i * .
New Y o rk , _ L.
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,, Defendant*
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cr e arn e d oy the
v r '- r<: t.
>*-. no L'.'.ioi-i "d^e o f th e n a tu r e o f the s a id
:i *'* - ,**r; *i 4u t- 'id t . r J "5. th whi *h r .'* wai
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T h e , p l a i n t i fif , R o be..yr t L..Uica- rs.h-ia l l , a d m i n i s t r a t o r ad
prosequendum o f. the r i g h t s , ^goods, c h a t t e l s ^ a n d ^ c r . e d i t s #1of^
Helen l i a r s h a l l , d e ce ase d, r e s i d i n g a t M a n v i l l e , New J e r s e y ,
says that:
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. r ; ; employ o f
1 , <T1he i n t e s t a t e , .Helen l i .a r s` Oh-.a- ll i,i, was. i n the the` d e fe n*d- an: tj c o r p o r art i or*n , a t.o ;i t s p l a nut * i,)n H aivn v i l l e
New J e r s e y , in the y e a r 1928, and f o r s e v e r a l y e a r s p r i o r
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. 1. r : : r v?. * c-r * .*.:: ; ii i> r : . r a a ! e-
t h err e t o * i
. *
2,. The de fe n d an t c o r p o r a t i o n , a t the time h e r e in
s e t f o r t h , waB engaged i n ( the manufacture o f a s b e s t o s produc
for commercial purposes. .
..
t .
3 . The s a i d defendant em ploye d,the i n t e s t a t e a t
the time and place abov s e t . f o r t h in i t s manufacture of sai<
-:.V V-.-- r "1 1 . .!
.V.* ;.i M , " '' n o t ` -i
a s b e1s t o s
products, * .
and
the
sna:i d d e fMe n`d.?a n*t../ao n l y
knew',oybu t"
-
w A / i i i a + o n n n t o i r\
4 . The d efen dan t not o n ly knew, h u t sh o u ld have
k n: o ra , t'h"e' d..a...n..'g'e*r'oIu" s natu`re o f s a id a so`e"st*os* f lo o r s >a'*n"a, head ,
^n*l i 1* r ,7+i *, .y* i *** * * *%v*
f* ,y^ * *.**': <* *,/
ohe
p a r t i c l e s , and f a i l e d to keep the Bame in c o n t r o l,' h u t was
d i:v l. r ~ r 1 t t h e r e o f, -i 1v*.:**;V*r 2 %. 1 ^ -8 , n e g lig e n t in allo w in g the said dangerous fib e r s and p a r tic le s
toescape and to come in to c lo s e p ro x im ity o f t h e ' in t e s t a t e * s
person and exposed th e in t e s t a t e so th a t she came in to c o n ta c t
' * *' * *: * B ' *! *. Y. * '* T^ l **r *** \ -r C : '* 1'*.v ii(3;)' q r ** i *
w ith , and in h a le d , the sa id dangerous fib e r s and p a r t ic le s to
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* J; *
* fn-
t V -'. ^ hth
the e x te n t t h a t her b r o n c h ia l tu b e s , lungs and. body became
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in fe c te d w ith the same*
b o : -.fit r..f next c f k in of Helen
T . :ri. Ll . "'C
< ,r ? ' ' . ' t ' - r ' dl" i 'is --
5 , I n t e s t a t e was not inform ed or warned*by the
t ' 1'
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d e fe n d a n t, and had ho knowledge o f the n atu re of the s a id
dangerous,, asb esto s fib e r s and p a r t ic le s w ith which shew as >T- ' ,
brought in to c lo se proxim ity by the d e fe n d a n ts n e g lig e n ce ,
her brot 6.
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. * y e
..
The n e g lig e n c e o f the defendant com plained, o f
is as follow s:
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.
.
:
.... i (a ) In f a i l i n g to use reaso n ab le care to p ro vid e
the in t e s t a t e w ith a reason ably sa fe p la ce o f work.
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.> ; * * * * . -
. a .?
(b) In f a i l i n g to use reasonable care to provide
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r
the in testate w ith proper masks or o th er a p p lia n c e s or s a f e -
. " , : - r : --.d? v... : guards m said work.
4-f:-: w: tv. cduae
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(c) In f a ili n g to use reasonable care to provide
a proper v e n t ila t in g system a t i t s p la n t . ***Oii
i.v\
(d) In f a i li n g to use reasonable care to g iv e
proper w arn in g, in fo rm a tio n and knowledge a b o u t'th e d an g er->'?rs,
*
, ' .v
ous c h a r a c te r o f it 3 work w ith the s a id a s b e s to s f ib e r s and '
p a r t ic le s to the i n t e s t a t e , a t the time and p la c e above men-
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I ..-3 y A!C 01 V`i.U, 0*.<0 r*
i1
y
i n j u r i e s , e x te r n a lly and in t e r n a lly , in and about her head,
body and lim b s , and her r e s is ta n c e power was, low ered, and she r'.<1 1*' *> ^*> ?'*.
d ie d , as a r e s u lt t h e r e o f, on Decem ber-23,- 1 9 2 8 .0 V ' ''.V'jr-
fi. On the 7 th day o f May, 1929, the p l a i n t i f f ,
R obertM arshall, w as.duly appointed,by the Surrogate o f
!
'
Somerset County, ad m in istrato r ad prosequendum o f Helen
M arshall, ; i
to
p ro se cu te*
it h e
a c tio n
for
damages,
fo r
the
death
of his in te s ta te , fo r the b e n e fit of next of k in of Helen
M a r s h a ll, d e ce ase d , and now p r o ffe r s h is l e t t e r s o f a d m in ist
tratio n .
` .
9 . The s a id H elen M a rsh a ll l e f t s u r v iv in g h e r , fa th e r h e^ , R ob ert M a r s h a ll; her m other, Agnes M a r s h a ll; and
her b ro th e rs, John M arsh all; Enoch M arsh all; Benjamin
M a rsh a ll; Edward M a rsh a ll; Henry M arsh all; and her s is t e r
Rose M a rs h a ll; a l l dependent upon the s a id in t e s t a t e fo r
support.
1 0. P l a i n t i f f , as a d m in is tr a to r , a3 a f o r e s a id ,
for the b e n e fit of said next of k in , is vested by virtu e of
the s t a t u t e , in such c a s e s , made and p ro vid ed w ith a cause
o f a c tio n a g a in st the defendant for n e g lig e n tly causing the
death o f h is i n t e s t a t e , and b rin g s t h is a c t io n w ith in two
years a fte r the death of said in t e s t a t e .
1 1 . The Baid next o f k in s u ffe r e d p e c u n ia ry l o s s e s ,
by reaso n o f the d e a th o f the s a id ^ e le n M a r s h a ll, in the sum
of $40,000.00.
P l a i n t i f f demands the sum o f $ 4 0 ,0 0 0 .0 0 as damages
*4 I *
namo i s Hobort lia r a h a ll* In P o li s h , i t is B o le s la v U a r s z a le k . 1
ara n a rrie d and 1 have a w ife and s ix l i v i n g c h ild r e n . 1 l i v e in U a n v ille
and my P o st O f f i c e box i s 277. 1 amja c i t i z e n o f th e U n ited S t a te s , and i
speak E n g lis h and P o li s h . I am working at the p re se n t tim e fo r t h e .J o h n s -
H a n v ille Company fo r the l a s t s ix years and have been working -for three ` . ,
yyears fo r t h i s comrpany a b o u tllO ) ..te...n *ye. .ar.ks,. a g o .. _ 1 h..a..v. ei,-.a csuoi.n . B e n e d ic t',-na.l
* *' -
'* .V* / ' ^ r ' ; '* **v* V
working fo r t h is company. : - /
s' ?' - i t "wi l VS
On th e 24th o f December, 1928, my d a u g h te r, H e le n , who was abo^ut,^ ,o r.
20 years o ld , d ied in th e Borough o f U a n v i ll e . .S h e was b u r ie d #in a S o m e r -.
v i l l a , Hew Je r s e y Cem etery. H elen was working fo r th e Jo h n s - ila n v ille , Co*,
fo r about th ree or fo u r y e a r s , something l ik e t h a t . - Shp c a r r ie d a p o lic y t.* .
w ith th e P o lis h Union o f W ilk e s -B a r r e , Penna* and th e p o lic y .ready .f o r j . *
One thousand d o l l a r s . I paid the fu n e r a l expenses out o f th e*o n e thousand
d o l l a r s , Liy daughter was tro u bled w ith b r o n c h itis and iahe was tre a te d ' b y .
D r . F ly n n o f S o m e r v ille , N . J . and by another d o c to r , w|boee name i d o .n o t
remember a t t h i s tim e . About te n years a g o , my daughter to o k s ic k w ith th a
Sp an ish in flu e n z a and she came back to h e a lt h , but she was t r o u b le d - .a ll- t h e
tim e w ith E r o n c h it is , but she never in her l i f e s u ffe r e d w ith lu n g .t r o u b le .
A fte r my daughter d ie d , 1 did not come to the bosses o f the uohns-lian v i l l a C
to ask them fo r money or c h a r ity or something of th a t s o r t on acco u n t o f
the death o f my d a u g h te r, because 1 f e l t and knew t h a t the company fo r .w h ic h
my d a u g h te r`was working had n othing to do with her d e a th . -
y
A few months a f t e r I buried my d a u g h te r, a man came to see me and he .
to ld me th a t h is name is Lawyer Samuel G re e n sto n e , a law yer from Newark on
Broad S t r e e t , ne was in company w ith Jo e Lewandowski, who i s working fo r
the Jo h n s -im n v ille C o . Jo e Lewandowski works in "A* B u ild in g .- x recogn ized
lr. G reen sto n e im m ediately because a few years ago 1 was ta k e n to h is
o f f i c e in Newark by a man it c h e ll about s t a r t in g a la w s u it fo r th e -d e a th o l
my o th er d a u g h te rs, N e l l i e and Anna. From th e tim e 1 saw t r . G reen stone
t)io johii<vM^:jviHa Co* und whatever he i s going to get ho w i l l s p l i t with mo
f i f t y - f i f t y . Greenstone s a id to roe t h a t ' the reason he w i l l t r y to g e t money
fo r th e death o f my d a u g h te r, H elen j is becauso she was working fo r the
Jo h n s -lia n v ille Co and t h a t t h i s company ought to pay. money fo r her death
and th a t he w i l l t r y to g e t i t * 1 never knew an y th in g ab o u t la w , and 1 don'
understand what law i s , t u t I thought th a t as long as fce can get money and 1
,
; r-r*
can g e t something out o f i t , l e t him go ahead and tr y * he to ld me i t w i l l :
not c o a t me one cen t and he sa id th a t he w i l l fin d out ev ery th in g from the
l
i
d o cto rs w h a t.th e tro u b le was th a t my daughter died so young# t o ld ~
_er
.
VSr Greenstone very p l a in l y th a t I am a fr a id to bot^Tlihe company w ith law
s u it s and X d o n 't want to f i g h t the company in co u rts and 1 to ld him 1 d o n 't
care to and I would not 6tand fo r i t to bother the Jo h n s -lia n v ille Co# fo r th
death o f my d a u g h te r, H e le n ; and Lawyer Greenstone s a id "D o n 't be a f r a i d f
nothing w ill happen to you and I w ill f i x t h i s " , he sa id th a t I would not
have to go to co u rt - maybe o n ee, but I would not need to be a f r a id and th a t he would f i x it
About a week l a t e r , the same law yer, L r . Samuel G re e n sto n e , came to
my house and took me and my w i f e , A gn es, to S o m e r v ille , where 1 sign ed a paper end he t o ld mo th a t I have got to sig n a paper in order to g e t eoae
money from the jo h n a -W a n v ille C o . 1 d id not understand the paper which 1
was s ig n in g , i t was too hard E n g lis h and Samuel G re e n sto n e , the la w y e r ,
had no in te r p r e t e r fo r me. X can speak E n g lis h and 1 understand i t a l l r i g h t , but hard words I d o n 't understand. X understand every day E n g lis h .
X r e a liz e th a t I g o t in to t h is la w -s u it a g a in s t my own w i l l and A
d id not want to sue the Jo h n s -M a n v ille C o . fo r th e death o f my d a u g h te r,
H e le n , and I do not want to sue now. Samuel Greenstone was th e man who
put t h is idea in my h e ad . X never 6Snt fo r him and X never asked him to
sue the Jo h n s - a n v ilie C o . in c o u rt fo r th e death o f my d au g h te r, H e le n .
I am w il l in g to s ig n papers a t any tim e to withdraw my case pending i n the
courts again st the Jo h n s-lJa n v illa C o . because I fe e l th at the Jo h n s-U an v ille
C o . had nothing to do w ith the death o f my d au g h te r, Helen# 1 am making
forem an, R ich ard S m ith , or by L r* u g h e s , or by anybody e ls e connected <ith the Johns-Han v i l l a Company# 1 was n o t't o ld th a t 1 w i l l g et a b e tte r