Wisconsin Court Says Widow Can Sue in Asbestos Case

An appeals court in Wisconsin says the widow of a manufacturing worker can sue a company that supplied brake parts containing asbestos for causing his death.

The District 1 Court of Appeals reinstated a lawsuit filed by Vicki Tatera of Greenfield. Her husband, Walter Tatera, died from mesothelioma in 2004.

Tatera’s lawsuit claims her husband developed cancer after working at a machine shop where he ground brake linings into specific shapes to be installed in automobiles.

The court says Tatera can sue the supplier of the linings, FMC Corp., for negligence for failing to warn that the parts contained asbestos and could be dangerous.

The company has denied the allegations, and the ruling sends the case to trial.