Woman Sues DuPont and Asbestos Manufacturers After Developing Mesothelioma From Exposure to Asbestos in Husband's Work Clothes

BEAUMONT, Texas, March 3 /PRNewswire/ -- Frances Barras of Nederland, Texas, along with her husband and five children, has sued DuPont and several asbestos manufacturers because she has developed mesothelioma from washing and handling her husband's asbestos-contaminated work clothes for many years. They are represented by Dallas-based Baron & Budd, P.C.

Mrs. Barras's husband, Louis Barras, was a refinery worker at the Beaumont DuPont facility between 1957 and 1985. She washed her husband's dusty work clothes, not knowing that they were covered with asbestos fibers. Mrs. Barras now suffers from asbestos-related pleural mesothelioma, an aggressive cancer that attacks the lining of the lungs.

Mrs. Barras has sued the asbestos manufacturers, like Union Carbide, Anchor Packing Co., Guard-Line, Ingersoll-Rand and Owens-Illinois, that provided products to the DuPont facility and exposed her husband to asbestos without providing proper warnings that would have allowed him to protect himself and his family.

She also has sued her husband's employer, DuPont, because DuPont knew or should have known of the danger of asbestos exposure as well. It has been widely publicized in industry literature since the early part of the century that providing showers and laundry services on site could prevent workers from carrying home industrial toxins to their spouses and children. Baron & Budd attorney Ben DuBose said, "If DuPont had required use of these simple services, it would have protected Mrs. Barras as well as the families of other DuPont workers."

The case, which was filed on February 11th, has been assigned to Jefferson County's Judge Milton Shuffield, 136th Judicial District Court.

About Baron & Budd, P.C.

For 30 years, the law firm of Baron & Budd, P.C. has championed the rights of people and communities harmed by corporate misconduct. With more than 50 attorneys and offices in California, Texas and Louisiana, Baron & Budd enjoys a national reputation as a leader of the plaintiffs' bar. The firm represents individuals with mesothelioma and other diseases caused by asbestos; leukemia caused by benzene; injuries caused by other toxic substances and unsafe pharmaceuticals; water authorities seeking clean-up costs for drinking water contamination; government entities and whistleblowers fighting corporate fraud; securities investors defrauded by corporate wrongdoing; and consumers in class actions.

Case No. D181-204

CONTACT: Susan Knape of Baron & Budd, P.C., 214-523-6226

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Source: Baron & Budd, P.C.

CONTACT: Susan Knape of Baron & Budd, P.C., +1-214-523-6226

Web site: http://www.baronandbudd.com/

2008-03-03 17:28:02 0303436 PRNEWSWIRE