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Charfauros family sues U.S. gov’t for $100-M
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Posted on Nov 13 2000
The estate of Jose T. Charfauros has filed a $100 million civil suit before the Superior Court on Tinian against the U. S. government for allegedly causing the death of Mr. Charfauros due to exposure to asbestos.
A former U.S. Navy personnel, Mr. Charfauros was found to have significant exposure to asbestos causing him to have lung cancer which had spread to his bone and the pelvis.
According to a medical report by Steven S. Wilson, assistant chief of the Department of Radiology at Tripler Army Medical Center, the lung cancer of Mr. Charfauros was most likely caused by the asbestos since he was a nonsmoker.
“I would say that the odds are greater than 80 percent that the asbestos played some role in forming the lung cancer, very possibly the only role in it,” said Dr. Wilson in a letter dated July 17, 1997. He added that Mr. Charfauros may have to be reimbursed by the US government for the health effect caused by exposure to asbestos.
The civil complaint filed by the Charfauros family through lawyer Joseph Aldan Arriola demanded a jury trial on the island-municipality of Tinian. During his service at the Navy and even after he was discharged, Mr. Charfauros performed welding and related tasks for the Navy vessels in different shipyards.
The U.S. government misled Mr. Charfauros by hiding the information about the ill-effects of exposure to asbestos causing his health to deteriorate and ultimately his death, the complaint added.
Mr. Charfauros died on Nov. 11, 1998 after a long battle with cancer. The complainants include Mar Charfauros’ wife Mary, their four children, grandchildren and his mother Maria T. Iglesias. (Lindablue F. Romero)
