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Charfauros files $600-M suit in fed court
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Posted on Nov 14 2000
The family of the late Jose T. Charfauros yesterday brought to the U.S. District Court its lawsuit against the federal government and 500 other unnamed defendants, demanding $600 million for his death due to exposure to asbestos.
Lawyers for the plaintiffs alleged similar complaint they filed last week in the Superior Court that claimed Mr. Charfauros died of cancer after being exposed to the toxic chemical while working for the U.S. Navy.
His widow, Mary C. Charfauros, and other immediate family members from Tinian sued for $100 million for monetary damages, $500 million for punitive as well as unspecified amount for other claims.
They also sought a jury trial to resolve the civil case which came two years after Mr. Charfauros passed away on Nov. 11, 1998 after suffering from lung cancer.
According to a medical report by Steven S. Wilson, assistant chief of the Department of Radiology at Tripler Army Medical Center, his lung cancer was most likely caused by the asbestos since he was a nonsmoker.
The complaint claimed that during his service with the Navy and even after his discharge, Mr. Charfauros performed welding and related tasks for the Navy vessels in different shipyards.
The U.S. government misled him by hiding the information about the ill-effects of exposure to asbestos causing his health to deteriorate and ultimately his death, stated the complaint.
