Foseco

Foseco has been involved in thousands of asbestos lawsuits and continues to be subject to legal action involving workers who were exposed to asbestos-containing products. The company manufactured asbestos-containing foundry products that were then supplied to steel mills as well as other industrial job sites.

Founded in 1932 by Eric Weiss, the company’s name stands for “Foundry Service Company.” Foseco was primarily focused on both manufacturing products and providing services in the foundry industry. Products manufactured by the company include materials utilized in core shops, foundry melting shops, and the molding line and pouring stage. Because many of the products manufactured by the company required heat-resistant qualities, asbestos was used in many of the products manufactured by Foseco.

Despite a 1964 letter from a scientific advisor informing Foseco executives about the danger of asbestos, the company continued manufacturing products containing the dangerous material. Two of Foseco’s subsidiaries, Foseco Canada Ltd and Foseco Minsep Inc., were listed as customers of the North American Asbestos Corporation. In response to asbestos concerns, Fosceco later misinformed customers that asbestos in the company’s products did not rise to a dangerous level.

From 1961 to 1976, Foseco used 18 million pounds of asbestos at its Cleveland manufacturing plant alone. A 1968 patent filed by the company explained the composition of exothermic hot tops, which contained a mixture of 4.9% amosites and 4.2% chrysotile asbestos.

Not only did foundry workers often use asbestos in stirring machines, but workers also routinely wore safety clothing made heat-resistant by incorporating asbestos. Foundry workers were routinely exposed to Foseco’s products. The workers who most often worked with these products included boiler workers, foundry workers, furnace workers, industrial workers, manufacturing plan workers, metal workers, and steel mill workers.

Foseco is one of the many companies that have been involved in asbestos litigation as a defendant. Most of the people who have pursued legal action against Foseco are former workers as well as their surviving loved ones. Foseco has paid over $13 million in settlement to survivors. Some of the most notable legal cases in which the company has been involved include:

• In 2013, a California jury awarded $38.9 million in a wrongful death action to the estate of Secundino Medina who passed away from mesothelioma after working with asbestos products made by Foseco as well as other manufacturers like BorgWarner and Ford Motors.
• In 2017, a judge in a Utah case awarded $1.52 million to the estate of a person who passed away as a result of mesothelioma following exposure to Foseco products. The family of the deceased worker filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the company as well as other asbestos manufacturers.

While the Throneberry Law Group has locations in Arizona, Illinois, and Missouri, our attorneys are prepared to travel anywhere to visit you or a loved one who has been diagnosed with an asbestos exposure-related condition. Contact our law office today by calling (888) 506-1131 or complete our online form.