Pennsylvania man files mass tort asbestos claim

A Lansdale man who claims his lung cancer diagnosis this past spring was a direct result of his work-related asbestos exposure has filed a lawsuit against a handful of manufacturers and distributors of products containing the fiber.

The mass tort claim was filed Aug. 12 at the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas by Philadelphia attorney Joseph J. McGill of the Locks Law Firm.

The plaintiffs in the case are John J. Long and his wife, Margaret Anne Long.

The lawsuit was filed as a short-form complaint in the master asbestos litigation docket.

The defendants named in the lawsuit are the Borg Warner Corp., Ford Motor Company, Honeywell International, Inc., Maremont Corp., The Pep Boys-Manny, Moe & Jack, and National Automotive Parts Association.

According to the complaint, John J. Long, 76, was diagnosed on April 26 with having squamous cell carcinoma of the lung as the “direct and proximate result of his exposure to asbestos dust and fibers.”

“This exposure arose from working with or around products manufactured by defendants,” the lawsuit states.

The lawsuit does state that Long smoked approximately a half-pack of cigarettes a day from 1950 all the way through to this year.

According to the complaint, Long worked at E.F. Moore Chevrolet in Conshohocken, Pa. from 1958 to 1966; at Bryner Chevrolet in Jenkintown, Pa. from 1967 to 1975; at Magarity Chevrolet in Flourtown, Pa. from 1975 to 1977; at Grenier Chevrolet in Jenkintown, Pa. from 1976 to 1985; and Montgomery County Community College from the mid 1980s to the mid 1990s.

Long worked primarily as an automotive technician.

Long seeks relief as set forth in the mast long-form asbestos complaint at Common Pleas Court.

A jury trial has been demanded.

The case number is 110802308.