Callaway v. Anco Insulation, Inc.

714 So. 2d 730, 98 La.App. 4 Cir. 0397, 1998 La. App. LEXIS 637, 1998 WL 155743
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedMarch 25, 1998
Docket98-C-0397
StatusPublished
Cited by15 cases

This text of 714 So. 2d 730 (Callaway v. Anco Insulation, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Louisiana Court of Appeal primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Callaway v. Anco Insulation, Inc., 714 So. 2d 730, 98 La.App. 4 Cir. 0397, 1998 La. App. LEXIS 637, 1998 WL 155743 (La. Ct. App. 1998).

Opinion

714 So.2d 730 (1998)

Marie Louise CALLAWAY, et al.
v.
ANCO INSULATION, INC., et al.

No. 98-C-0397.

Court of Appeal of Louisiana, Fourth Circuit.

March 25, 1998.

*731 Antonio E. Papale, Jr., Julie DiFulco Robles, Barbara Bourdonnay O'Donnell, Robert D. Ford, Hailey, McNamara, Hall, Larmann & Papale, L.L.P., Metairie, for the Relator.

Robert H. Urann, Nancy Picard, Robein, Urann & Lurye, Metairie, for the Respondents.

Before BARRY, WALTZER and LANDRIEU, JJ.

WALTZER, Judge.

Relator seeks review of the trial court's denial of its motion for summary judgment and, in the alternative, exception of no cause of action. Relator asserts that respondents' survival and wrongful death actions are barred by Workers' Compensation Law.

STATEMENT OF THE CASE

Plaintiffs-Respondents have filed a survival and wrongful death action alleging that John R. Callaway, Sr., died from mesothelioma which he contracted due to exposure to asbestos and asbestos-containing substances. Callaway was diagnosed with mesothelioma in December of 1994 and died 4 January 1995. Plaintiffs-Respondents allege the decedent was exposed to such materials during his employment as an insulator with Anco Insulations, Inc., during various times from 1947 to 1977. They sued Anco as well as other former employers and manufacturers and distributors of asbestos and asbestos-containing materials. Anco filed a motion for summary judgment or in the alternative, exception of no cause of action, arguing that plaintiffs' actions are barred by the Workers' Compensation Statute. After a hearing on the motion, the trial court rendered judgment on 26 January 1998, denying Anco's motion for summary judgment. Anco informed the trial court of its intent to seek supervisory writs of review. Anco filed its application for supervisory writs on 20 February 1998.

ANALYSIS

Relator, Anco Insulations, Inc., contends the trial court erred when it denied Anco's motion for summary judgment. Anco argues that the plaintiffs' survival and wrongful death actions are barred by Workers' Compensation Law.

Plaintiffs allege in their survival action that their decedent was exposed to asbestos and asbestos-containing materials various times from 1947 to 1977. The decedent was diagnosed with mesothelioma in December of 1994 and died in January of 1995. Under controlling jurisprudence, a survival action arises at the time of the commission of the tort and survives the death of the injured party. Holmes v. Pottharst, 438 So.2d 622 (La.App. 4 Cir.1983), writ denied, 447 So.2d 1076 (La.1984). In occupational disease cases such as asbestosis and mesothelioma cases, a survival action arises when the injured party is exposed to the toxic substances which cause the disease. Our Supreme Court recognized in Cole v. Celotex, 599 So.2d 1058 (La.1992) that injury producing events determine the time at which a claim arises, as well as the controlling law, when it is alleged that earlier exposure resulted in a belated manifestation of damages. See also Thomas v. Armstrong World Industries, 95-2222 (La.App. 1 Cir. 6/28/96), 676 So.2d 1185, writ denied, 96-1965 (La. 11/1/96), 681 So.2d 1272. In Thomas, the First Circuit held that the date of the plaintiff's exposure to asbestos dictated the applicable workers compensation law. Thus, the plaintiffs' survival action is governed by the workers' compensation statute which was in effect at the time the decedent was exposed to asbestos, i.e., 1947-1977. Prior to amendment *732 in 1975, La.R.S. 23:1031.1 provided, in pertinent part:

Every employee who is disabled because of the contraction of an occupational disease as herein defined, or the dependent of an employee whose death is caused by an occupational disease, as herein defined, shall be entitled to the compensation provided in this Chapter the same as if said employee received personal injury by accident arising out of and in the course of his employment.
A. An occupational disease shall include only those diseases hereinafter listed when contracted by an employee in the course of his employment as a result of the nature of the work performed. Tuberculosis shall not be an occupational disease within the meaning of this Chapter, except when contracted during the course of employment by an employee of a hospital or unit thereof specializing in the care and treatment of tuberculosis patients, and no disease shall be construed to include tuberculosis in its scope, except as herein specified.
(1) Poisoning by or other disease resulting from contact with
(a) the halogens, halogen compounds, and halogenated hydrocarbons
(b) alkaline materials
(c) arsenic, phosphorus, silenium, sulfur, tellurium, and their compounds
(d) oxygen, nitrogen, carbon, and their compounds
(e) cyanides and cyanogen compounds
(f) lead and lead compounds
(g) metals other than lead and their compound
(h) aliphatic hydrocarbons and their nitro, diaso and amino compounds
(i) aromatic and cyclic hydrocarbons and their nitro, amino and other compounds
(j) alcohols
(k) organic and inorganic acids and their derivatives and compounds
(l) esters of aliphatic, aromatic and inorganic acids
(m) aldehydes
(n) ketones
(o) ethers, glycol ethers, and their compounds
(p) phenol and phenolic compounds
(2) Diseased condition caused by exposure to X-rays or radioactive substances.
(3) Asbestosis.
(4) Silicosis.
(5) Dermatosis.
(6) Pneumoconiosis.
(7) Tuberculosis when contracted during the course of employment by an employee of a hospital or unit thereof specializing in the case and treatment of tuberculosis patients.

As the statute did not include mesothelioma as a covered disease or asbestos as a substance which caused disease, the plaintiffs are not precluded from pursuing a negligence action against Anco. See Gautreaux v. Rheem Mfg. Co., 96-2193 (La.App. 4 Cir. 12/27/96), 694 So.2d 977, writ denied, 97-0222 (La. 3/14/97), 690 So.2d 39; and Thomas, supra. In Gautreaux, this court held that since asbestos was not a listed substance which caused disease in the pre-1975 statute, it would not be covered by the exclusive remedy of the workers compensation statute.

However, plaintiffs' wrongful death action is governed by the statute which was in effect at the time of the decedent's death. Just last month, we concluded in Meredith v. Asbestos Corporation, Ltd., 97-2593, 98-0211 (La.App. 4 Cir. 2/18/98), 707 So.2d 1334, and in Holmes v. Pottharst, supra, that a wrongful death action arises at the time of death and the law effective on that date must be applied to wrongful death actions. On 4 January 1995, (the date of decedent's death) La.R.S. 23:1031.1 provided:

A.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Frank v. Shell Oil Co.
828 F. Supp. 2d 835 (E.D. Louisiana, 2011)
Rando v. Anco Insulations Inc.
16 So. 3d 1065 (Supreme Court of Louisiana, 2009)
Southern Silica of La. v. La. Ins. Guar.
979 So. 2d 460 (Supreme Court of Louisiana, 2008)
Terrance v. Dow Chemical Co.
971 So. 2d 1058 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 2007)
Graves v. Riverwood Intern. Corp.
949 So. 2d 576 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 2007)
Adams v. Asbestos Corp. Ltd.
914 So. 2d 1177 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 2005)
Alexander v. Thiokol Corp.
887 So. 2d 685 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 2004)
Samuel Alexander v. Thiokol Corporation
Louisiana Court of Appeal, 2004
Powell v. Weaver
841 So. 2d 742 (Supreme Court of Louisiana, 2003)
Austin v. Abney Mills, Inc.
824 So. 2d 1137 (Supreme Court of Louisiana, 2002)
Matrana v. AVONDALE INDUS., INC.
803 So. 2d 59 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 2001)
Abadie v. Metropolitan Life Ins. Co.
804 So. 2d 11 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 2001)
Brunet v. Avondale Industries, Inc.
772 So. 2d 974 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 2000)
Faul v. Trahan
718 So. 2d 1081 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 1998)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
714 So. 2d 730, 98 La.App. 4 Cir. 0397, 1998 La. App. LEXIS 637, 1998 WL 155743, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/callaway-v-anco-insulation-inc-lactapp-1998.