More than 25 companies are involved in a lawsuit for the wrongful death of Margaret Valentino, a mesothelioma victim who was living in Pomeroy, Ohio. The estate of the victim filed suit against three Columbus-area hospitals where she worked as a nurse. The suit is also against the manufacturers of products and machinery containing asbestos.
Valentino was allegedly exposed to asbestos-containing products and machinery while working at St. Anthony Hospital, Mount Carmel Health, and St. Ann's Hospital during the 1960s and 1970s. She died of mesothelioma in August of 2009. The causes of suit for the Valentino estate case are "liability for her illness and death, breach of warranty, product liability, conspiracy, concealment and willful misconduct." The amount of compensation the estate is seeking has not been revealed.
Valentino died only two months after initial diagnosis of mesothelioma. This is because it typically takes decades for symptoms to be noticed with this deadly form of cancer. The nurse wouldn't have shown symptoms until several decades after exposure to asbestos.
