F. H. Deeg to F. E. Henderson at Lompoc on a Lung Injury Claim and the Warning Label (1962)

A handwritten teletype message of May 3, 1962, from F. H. Deeg, Johns-Manville's insurance manager, to F. E. Henderson at J-M's Lompoc, California diatomaceous earth operation. Deeg reported that a "bodily injury claim for alleged lung aggravation" had been turned over to the Travelers Insurance Company "for investigation and defense under our comprehensive general liability policy." He asked Henderson for a specimen copy of the "label with warning Form C-57 10/57" to give to Travelers.

What it shows

A claim under the general liability policy, rather than workers' compensation, points to someone outside J-M's own workforce, and the request shows that by 1962 the company was using a warning label (dated October 1957) on a Lompoc product and expected it to matter in defending the claim. The message does not name the claimant or the product.

In Johns-Manville's chronology

Johns-Manville's own chronology of what the company knew describes this document as follows:

Memorandum from F.H. Deeg to F.E. Henderson dated 5/3/62 states that a bodily injury claim for alleged lung injury has been turned over to Travelers for "investigation and defense under our comprehensive general liability policy." Requests copy of label with warning "Form C-57 10/57" to turn over to Travelers.

Editor's note: J-M's description calls the claim one for "alleged lung injury"; the message describes it as a claim for "alleged lung aggravation."