Beasley, Allen, Crow, Methvin, Portis & Miles, P.C.

Almost one year after the Tennessee Supreme Court made a precedent-setting decision related to asbestos exposure, the Satterfield family has settled with Alcoa Aluminum. The settlement puts to rest a six-year legal fight by Doug and Donna Satterfield on behalf of their daughter, Amanda, who died of mesothelioma in 2005 as a result of years of exposure to asbestos brought home on her father’s work clothes, from his job at Alcoa .

Mesothelioma is a rare form of cancer caused exclusively by exposure to asbestos. It generally affects the lining of the chest and lungs, but also may affect the lining of the abdomen or, more rarely, the heart. There is no known cure for mesothelioma. Mesothelioma has a long latency period, between 10 and 50 years from exposure to development of the disease. Historically, it was seen only in older males, usually factory or industrial workers. However, due to secondary exposure, such as being exposed to asbestos dust on clothing of workers (usually family members), as well as in the environment, it is being seen more often in younger people and women. Amanda was diagnosed with mesothelioma in her early 20s.

Exposure to asbesots also can cause a number of asbestos-related diseases and lung cancers, including asbestosis, a severe scarring of the lungs.

Amanda died two years after the Satterfield case was filed, a case initially lost in a Blount County court. However, the Tennessee Supreme Court ruled on Sept. 9, 2008 that relatives of employees who were exposed to asbestos also were eligible for claims against the company in the event of a mesothelioma or asbestos-related disease diagnosis. The ruling established an employer’s “duty of care” that includes keeping others safe from hazardous materials an employee might unknowingly bring home from work.

Doug Satterfield, Amanda’s father, worked at Alcoa for 33 years, beginning in 1973. According to a report in CityView Magazine, the company was required by OSHA regulations in 1972 to prohibit employees who were exposed to asbestos from taking their clothes home to be laundered. However, the magazine reports, Alcoa allegedly did not comply with these regulations. Doug’s hair and clothes held asbestos dust from his day of work, and he unknowingly brought this deadly substance home to his baby daughter.

Additional source: VolunteerTV.com

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