Ohio Mesothelioma Lawsuit Filed Over Nurses Death From Asbestos

A wrongful death lawsuit has been filed in Ohio by the family of a nurse who died from mesothelioma as a result of exposure to asbestos while working at three Columbus-area hospitals. 

The mesothelioma lawsuit was filed earlier this month in Meigs County Common Pleas Court by the family of Margaret Valentino. The complaint names Allied Corporation and 25 other companies as defendants.

Valentino worked at St. Anthony Hospital and Mount Carmel Health in Columbus and St. Ann’s Hospital in Westerville during the 1960s and 1970s. According to the complaint, she was diagnosed with mesothelioma cancer in June 2009 and died two months later.

Mesothelioma is a rare form of cancer found in the lining of the chest and lungs, which is only known to occur as a result of exposure to asbestos. The disease has a very long latency period and is often not discovered until decades after exposure, leading to a limited life expectancy after diagnosis.

Asbestos was widely used throughout the last century, with use peaking in 1973. Most uses of asbestos were banned in the mid-1980s, but the number of mesothelioma deaths has continued to rise, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Lawsuits over mesothelioma from asbestos exposure are the longest running mass tort in U.S. history, with the first case filed in 1929. Over 600,000 people have filed lawsuits against 6,000 defendants after being diagnosed with mesothelioma, asbestosis or other asbestos-related diseases.