Illinois Supreme Court ruled Company owes a duty of care to family’s indirect asbestos exposure.

A recent ruling by the Illinois Supreme Court determined that companies whose employees are exposed to asbestos on the job may owe a duty of care to protect the worker’s family members who are exposed to asbestos second-hand. The facts of the case involved the wife of a railroad company employee who was diagnosed with mesothelioma. She sued her husband’s employer, claiming that she became sick after being exposed to asbestos that was on her husband’s clothes. This ruling by the Court overturns the ruling in a previous case involving a wife who sued the company where her husband worked for 6 years, rejecting the argument that a direct relationship must exist, like that of a company and employee, in order for the company to have a duty of care.

This new decision has potentially expanded the types of possible claims people have for injuries or illness suffered caused by asbestos exposure. If you or someone you know has questions relating to an illness caused by asbestos exposure, please click here or call 866-264-7639 for a free consultation with an experienced, Chicago personal injury lawyer.