Shipyard’s Personnel Records Ordered Released by Judge Overseeing Mesothelioma Lawsuit
Brenda Palermo died of malignant mesothelioma in March of 2024, but her family is continuing her quest for justice. They have assumed responsibility for her legal battle against Avondale Shipyards, and recently prevailed in an important petition: They convinced the judge hearing the case to order the company to release the personnel records of several of the woman’s family members.
Secondary Asbestos Exposure Blamed for Woman’s Mesothelioma Death
In her claim against Avondale, Ms. Palermo had argued that her mesothelioma was caused by exposure to asbestos fibers carried into her home by family members who worked for the shipyard. Included among Avondale’s former employees were her father, uncle, and cousins – the last two, Valmont and Glen Landry, are now deceased, and without their testimony as to where they had worked within the shipyard, the family needed their employment records to establish their job responsibilities and asbestos exposures.
When the family members requested this information, the shipyard refused to provide it, arguing that the information was confidential and might make them vulnerable to future lawsuits filed by the cousins’ family members. Ms. Palermo’s survivors then turned to Magistrate Judge Janis Van Meerveld of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana for help.
Judge Rules in Favor of Mesothelioma Victim’s Family
In response to the petition from the mesothelioma victim’s family, the judge reviewed the relevant law and then ordered Avondale to provide details from the company’s personnel files, to include the men’s employment dates, job roles, work locations, asbestos exposure, and coworkers’ names. She asserted that if any confidential information was present in the records, it could be redacted. With this ruling, the family will receive the necessary records, and the case will proceed in their pursuit of justice.
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