Benzene Case Taken to U.S. Supreme Court
Lawyer Blogs
[##_1L|1401660181.jpg|width="180" height="122" alt=""|_##]A lawyer urges the U.S. Supreme Court to reverse the state Supreme Court ruling that barred her Alabama client from suing the manufacturers of a chemical he blamed for causing his rare form of leukemia. Jack Cline died in January of acute myelogenous leukemia. Until retiring in 1995, he worked with benzene for 37 years for a company that made railroad wheels.
Cline tried to sue Ashland Inc., Chevron Phillips Chemical, and ExxonMobil Corp., which produced the benzene he believed caused his disease. The judge presiding over the case ruled in favor of the defendants, stating that Cline waited too long to sue.
The judge’s ruling was based on a 1979 precedent that held that the two-year statute of limitations begins on the date of the last incidence of chemical exposure.
In Alabama, another precedent allows lawsuits only by persons who can show “manifest harm” or demonstrable injury. But because Cline’s illness was not diagnosed until 1999—four years after his last exposure—there was no allowable time period during which he could have sued, according to both precedents.
Cline’s lawyer, Leslie Brueckner, is arguing that the state ruling violated the 14th amendment, denying Cline due process of law.
If the U.S. Supreme Court accepts the case, oral arguments should begin sometime in the fall or winter.
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Forte Law Group is one of only a very few law firms within the state of Connecticut that is dedicated to exclusively representing families and children with special needs.
Parents need to be persistent, dedicated and above all else aware of the many services and accommodations that their child is entitled to under the law. As early as this point within your child’s special education, many parents will often find themselves in the situation asking, “is now the time to really call a special education lawyer?” Here are a few things to consider when asking yourself that question.