Asbestos Exposure at Florida Tile in Lawrenceburg
If you were employed at Florida Tile Inc.’s manufacturing plant in Lawrenceburg, KY, you were likely exposed to asbestos. The family members of Florida Tile employees were also exposed when their spouses or parents came home from work with asbestos fibers on their clothing because the company didn’t have any safeguards against this. Additionally, construction workers and consumers may have been exposed to asbestos due to tiles manufactured by this company.
People who worked at the Lawrenceburg facility were exposed to asbestos from the 1970s to the late 1990s and even into the 2000s in some cases. If you or a loved one has contracted mesothelioma, lung cancer, or another deadly disease due to exposure at Florida Tile or through its products, contact us at Satterley & Kelley, PLLC for a consultation today. We can help you get compensation.
What Is Florida Tile Inc?
Founded in 1954, Florida Tile is a tile manufacturer. Originally based in Florida, the company opened its Lawrenceburg plant in the 1970s, and that plant continues to operate today. At the time of writing, Florida Tile has over 1,000 employees, earns annual revenue estimated at over $100 million, and is one of the largest US-based tile manufacturers.
(Tile manufacturing plant photo by Mixabest @Wikimedia Commons)
Asbestos Exposure at Florida Tile
Florida Tile manufactured its tiles using industrial-grade talcum powder that contained asbestos. Available naturally in mines throughout the world, this powder came to the factory in large trucks or rail cars. Everyone involved in the manufacturing process was exposed to asbestos including people who did the following:
- Unloaded the rail cars.
- Tested the talcum powder for impurities.
- Poured the talcum powder into the hoppers.
- Mixed the powder with other materials.
- Poured the mixture into tile molds.
- Sorted the tiles.
- Picked up broken tiles.
- Packaged the tiles.
- Handled the tiles in the warehouse.
- Transported tiles out of the warehouses.
Florida Tile in Lawrenceburg, KY used thousands of pounds of asbestos-laden talc per day and millions of pounds per year. Administrators and managers who came through the receiving, production, and storage areas were also likely to be exposed.
FAQs About Asbestos Exposure at Florida Tile
Can former employees of Florida Tile sue the company for contracting mesothelioma due to asbestos exposure?
Due to Kentucky’s workers’ compensation laws, former employees cannot sue Florida Tile. The worker’s compensation laws require you to bring injury claims against your employer within one year of the injury date, and they prohibit you from suing your employer.
The long latency period of mesothelioma makes it impossible for injured employees to bring worker’s comp claims against Florida Tile. However, you may be able to hold other parties such as the talc suppliers liable. When you talk with us, we’ll help you identify the liable parties.
Can you get compensation if you were exposed to asbestos at Florida Tile?
Employees may be able to hold the supplier of the talcum powder responsible for their injuries. The companies that supplied talcum powder to Florida Tile were usually mining companies or companies that had contracted mining companies to mine talc for them. Florida Tile used a variety of different suppliers during the years that it used talcum powder with asbestos in it.
Can relatives of Florida Tile hold the company liable for their injuries?
If you were exposed to asbestos through a relative who worked at Florida Tile, you may be able to hold the company liable for your injuries. As of 2023, a new ruling from the Kentucky Court of Appeals helped to solidify the rights of people who were secondarily exposed through family members.
In WILLIAMS v. SCHNEIDER ELECTRIC, the court’s decision said that employers have the duty to protect their employees’ families from foreseeable harm. From the 1970s and beyond, there is no debate that there was foreseeable harm from asbestos exposure – corporations knew about the risks.
How long do you have to bring a lawsuit against Florida Tile or its suppliers?
You have one year from the date of discovery to bring forward a lawsuit, under Kentucky’s personal injury laws. Generally, the date of diagnosis is the date of discovery, but in some situations, the courts may consider an alternative date of discovery based on other facts.
Note that this is a hard deadline. The courts do not extend the statute of limitations. You should contact an attorney for help as soon as you learn about your diagnosis.
What if you are close to the statute of limitations for an asbestos lawsuit?
Even if it’s close to the deadline, you should still contact an attorney. For example, if you were diagnosed with mesothelioma several months or almost a year ago, there is still time to get help. An experienced asbestos litigation attorney can file a lawsuit in just a couple of hours.
Get Help If You Were Exposed to Asbestos Due to Florida Tile
Florida Tile, its talcum powder suppliers, and countless other companies throughout the world knew about the risks of asbestos, and they continued to expose their employees and their family members anyway. If you or a loved one has contracted mesothelioma due to asbestos exposure at Florida Tile or secondary exposure through an employee, you have a right to compensation.
You may be able to get compensation for your medical bills, loss of income, pain and suffering, and the loss of a family member. At Satterley & Kelley, PLLC we know that compensation doesn’t replace what you have lost, but we can help you find some financial justice for yourself and your family members.
We have represented many other people who contracted mesothelioma from this company, and we can help you. Let us focus on your legal justice, while you focus on your medical care and quality of life. To learn more, contact us today.