Home/Court of Appeals of Tennessee/Joy Walls, Individually and as Surviving Spouse of Decendent Wendell M. Goodwin v. AC & S, Inc.

Joy Walls, Individually and as Surviving Spouse of Decendent Wendell M. Goodwin v. AC & S, Inc.

CourtCourt of Appeals of Tennessee
DecidedJuly 6, 1998
Docket03A01-9707-CV-00269
StatusPublished

This text of Joy Walls, Individually and as Surviving Spouse of Decendent Wendell M. Goodwin v. AC & S, Inc. (Joy Walls, Individually and as Surviving Spouse of Decendent Wendell M. Goodwin v. AC & S, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Tennessee primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Joy Walls, Individually and as Surviving Spouse of Decendent Wendell M. Goodwin v. AC & S, Inc., (Tenn. Ct. App. 1998).

Opinion

C O U R T O F A P P E A L S O F T E N N E S S E E

A T K N O X V I L L E FILED July 6, 1998

Cecil Crowson, Jr. Appellate C ourt Clerk J O Y W A L L S , I n d i v i d u a l l y a n d ) K N O X C O U N T Y a s S u r v i v i n g S p o u s e o f ) 0 3 A 0 1 - 9 7 0 7 - C V - 0 0 2 6 9 D e c e d e n t W E N D E L L M . G O O D W I N ) ) P l a i n t i f f - A p p e l l a n t ) ) v . ) H O N . D A L E W O R K M A N , ) J U D G E A C a n d S , I N C . , e t a l . ) ) D e f e n d a n t s - A p p e l l e e s ) A F F I R M E D A N D R E M A N D E D

B R U C E H I L L a n d M I K E G . N A S S I O S O F K N O X V I L L E ; J O H N A . D A Y a n d D O N A L D C A P P A R E L L A O F N A S H V I L L E F O R A P P E L L A N T

D W I G H T E . T A R W A T E R , T H O M A S A . B I C K E R S , A N D R E W R . T I L L M A N a n d R O B I N K . L O N G M I R E O F K N O X V I L L E F O R A P P E L L E E O W E N S - C O R N I N G

K A T H Y K . C O N D O O F P I T T S B U R G H , P A a n d F . S C O T T M I L L I G A N O F K N O X V I L L E F O R A P P E L L E E P I T T S B U R G H C O R N I N G C O R P O R A T I O N

O P I N I O N

G o d d a r d , P . J .

T h i s s u i t w a s i n i t i a t e d b y P l a i n t i f f - A p p e l l a n t , W e n d e l l 1 G o o d w i n , a g a i n s t D e f e n d a n t s - A p p e l l e e s , P i t t s b u r g h C o r n i n g

C o r p o r a t i o n , O w e n s - C o r n i n g F i b e r g l a s C o r p o r a t i o n , a n d a n u m b e r o f

1 M r . G o o d w i n d i e d d u r i n g t h e p e n d e n c y o f t h i s c a s e a n d i t w a s r e v i v e d i n t h e n a m e o f h i s s u r v i v i n g s p o u s e . 2 o t h e r D e f e n d a n t s , s e e k i n g d a m a g e s b e c a u s e o f a n i l l n e s s M r .

G o o d w i n c o n t r a c t e d - - s p e c i f i c a l l y a s t o m a c h c a n c e r k n o w n a s

p e r i t o n e a l m e s o t h e l i o m a - - r e s u l t i n g f r o m h i s o c c u p a t i o n a l e x p o s u r e

t o a s b e s t o s p r o d u c t s m a n u f a c t u r e d a n d d i s t r i b u t e d b y t h e

D e f e n d a n t s , i n c l u d i n g P i t t s b u r g h C o r n i n g a n d O w e n s - C o r n i n g . T h e

T r i a l C o u r t , i n r e s p o n s e t o t h e a n s w e r s s u p p l i e d b y t h e j u r y

t h r o u g h s p e c i a l i n t e r r o g a t o r i e s h e r e i n a f t e r s e t o u t , e n t e r e d a

j u d g m e n t i n f a v o r o f t h e D e f e n d a n t s b e c a u s e t h e P l a i n t i f f ' s c l a i m

w a s b a r r e d b y t h e a p p l i c a b l e s t a t u t e o f r e p o s e , T . C . A . 2 9 - 2 8 -

1 0 3 ( a ) .

T h e P l a i n t i f f a p p e a l s , r a i s i n g t h e f o l l o w i n g i s s u e s :

I . W H E T H E R T H E T R I A L C O U R T E R R E D B Y A L L O W I N G D E F E N D A N T S T O ( 1 ) I N T R O D U C E E V I D E N C E O F F A U L T A G A I N S T N U M E R O U S N O N P A R T Y M A N U F A C T U R E R S O F A S B E S T O S A N D ( 2 ) A R G U E T H A T F A U L T S H O U L D B E A S S I G N E D T O T H O S E N O N P A R T I E S , W H E R E P L A I N T I F F H A D N O C A U S E O F A C T I O N A G A I N S T T H O S E N O N P A R T I E S

I I . W H E T H E R T H E T R I A L C O U R T E R R E D B Y F A I L I N G T O G R A N T P L A I N T I F F ' S M O T I O N F O R A D I R E C T E D V E R D I C T T O S T R I K E D E F E N D A N T S ' A F F I R M A T I V E D E F E N S E O F C O M P A R A T I V E F A U L T W H E N D E F E N D A N T S F A I L E D T O E S T A B L I S H T H A T T H E P R O D U C T S O F N O N P A R T Y A S B E S T O S M A N U F A C T U R E R S W E R E U N R E A S O N A B L Y D A N G E R O U S O R D E F E C T I V E O R C A U S E D T H E D E C E D E N T ' S I N J U R I E S A N D D E A T H

I I I . W H E T H E R T H E T R I A L C O U R T E R R E D I N D E N Y I N G P L A I N T I F F ' S M O T I O N I N L I M I N E T O E X C L U D E P R O O F T H A T D E F E N D A N T S H A D C O M P L I E D W I T H O S H A R E G U L A T I O N S

2 I t d o e s n o t a p p e a r f r o m t h e r e c o r d t h a t t h e c l a i m s a g a i n s t D e f e n d a n t s o t h e r t h a n P i t t s b u r g h C o r n i n g a n d O w e n s - C o r n i n g h a v e b e e n a d j u d i c a t e d . H o w e v e r , i n a r e s p o n s e t o a l e t t e r b y t h e C l e r k o f t h i s C o u r t , c o u n s e l f o r t h e P l a i n t i f f a s s u r e s t h e C o u r t t h a t o r d e r s h a v e b e e n e n t e r e d i n t h e T r i a l C o u r t a d j u d i c a t i n g a l l c l a i m s o f t h e o t h e r D e f e n d a n t s . C o n s e q u e n t l y , w e s h a l l t r e a t t h i s a p p e a l a s a n a p p e a l o f r i g h t u n d e r R u l e 3 o f t h e T e n n e s s e e R u l e s o f A p p e l l a t e P r o c e d u r e .

2 I V . W H E T H E R T H E T E N - Y E A R P R O D U C T S L I A B I L I T Y S T A T U T E O F R E P O S E S H O U L D N O T B E A P P L I E D T O E X T I N G U I S H E X I S T I N G B U T U N D I S C O V E R E D C A U S E S O F A C T I O N A R I S I N G F R O M P R O D U C T S C A U S I N G L A T E N T D I S E A S E , W H E N T H E L E G I S L A T U R E H A S E V I D E N C E D N O C L E A R I N T E N T T O A P P L Y T H E S T A T U T E R E T R O A C T I V E L Y

M r . G o o d w i n b e g a n w o r k i n g w i t h p r o d u c t s c o n t a i n i n g

a s b e s t o s i n 1 9 5 9 , p r i m a r i l y i n a p p l y i n g a s b e s t o s c o n t a i n i n g

i n s u l a t i o n m a t e r i a l s t o p i p e s o n c o n s t r u c t i o n p r o j e c t s . T h i s

r e q u i r e d h i m t o c u t a n d s a w t h e m a t e r i a l f o r f i t t i n g a r o u n d t h e

p i p e s . H e w o r k e d w i t h t h e s e m a t e r i a l s u n t i l h e w a s d i a g n o s e d

w i t h c a n c e r o f t h e a b d o m e n i n M a y o f 1 9 9 1 , j u s t f o u r m o n t h s

b e f o r e h i s d e a t h f r o m t h i s d i s e a s e . T h e p r o o f a s t o w h e t h e r M r .

G o o d w i n w a s e x p o s e d t o a n y p r o d u c t s m a n u f a c t u r e d b y t h e

D e f e n d a n t s a n d s o l d f o r u s e o r c o n s u m p t i o n a f t e r J u n e 3 0 , 1 9 6 9 ,

i s c o n t e s t e d .

T h e j u r y ' s a n s w e r t o t h e q u e s t i o n s w a s f a v o r a b l e t o

b o t h D e f e n d a n t s , w h i c h , i f t h e s t a t u t e o f r e p o s e a b o v e m e n t i o n e d

i s v a l i d , w o u l d r e q u i r e a f f i r m a n c e o f t h e j u d g m e n t u n l e s s a

p r e j u d i c i a l e r r o r o c c u r r e d d u r i n g t h e c o u r s e o f t h e t r i a l , a s

i n s i s t e d b y t h r e e o f t h e P l a i n t i f f ' s f o u r i s s u e s o n a p p e a l .

T h e q u e s t i o n s p r o p o u n d e d t o t h e j u r y a n d i t s a n s w e r a r e

a s f o l l o w s :

1 . W a s a n y e x p o s u r e o f W e n d e l l G o o d w i n t o a s b e s t o s - c o n t a i n i n g p r o d u c t s m a n u f a c t u r e d b y O w e n s - C o r n i n g C o r p o r a t i o n a n d s o l d f o r u s e o r c o n s u m p t i o n a f t e r J u n e 3 0 , 1 9 6 9 a s u b s t a n t i a l c o n t r i b u t i n g c a u s e o f W e n d e l l G o o d w i n ' s m e s o t h e l i o m a ?

3 A n s w e r N o ( Y e s o r N o )

2 . W a s a n y e x p o s u r e o f W e n d e l l G o o d w i n t o a s b e s t o s - c o n t a i n i n g p r o d u c t s m a n u f a c t u r e d b y P i t t s b u r g h - C o r n i n g C o r p o r a t i o n a n d s o l d f o r u s e o r c o n s u m p t i o n a f t e r J u n e 3 9 , 1 9 6 9 a s u b s t a n t i a l c o n t r i b u t i n g c a u s e o f W e n d e l l G o o d w i n ' s m e s o t h e l i o m a ?

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

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
Joy Walls, Individually and as Surviving Spouse of Decendent Wendell M. Goodwin v. AC & S, Inc., Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/joy-walls-individually-and-as-surviving-spouse-of--tennctapp-1998.