Asbestos Information Association Executive Committee Minutes on the Legal-Medical Research Program (1976)

Six pages of minutes of the Executive Committee of the Asbestos Information Association/North America, meeting in Washington on December 8, 1976, signed by its executive director, Robert H. Mereness. Members included Guy Gabrielson of Nicolet, John Marsh of Raybestos-Manhattan and Dimitry Poutiatine of Johns-Manville. The committee reviewed the 1977 budget and dues, federal rules, and the construction-industry study by Equitable Environmental Health, Inc. Gabrielson reported that Dr. Philip Enterline's literature review would be widened to include asbestosis, as urged by Carter and Markusson of J-M, "since it was considered that a chronology in this area would be useful in litigation of asbestosis-related cases by the industry."

What it shows

Under the Association's Legal-Medical Research Program, Enterline of the University of Pittsburgh was reviewing the medical literature from 1933 to 1968 on lung cancer and mesothelioma, to produce quotations, a card index and "a scholarly paper." The minutes also report that special counsel had begun interviewing physicians who might serve as expert witnesses; a handwritten change limits this to "third party" litigation. Poutiatine said Walter Curtner, J-M's insurance manager, could help with a proposed Association captive insurance program. The minutes show the industry organizing research, experts and insurance around the coming wave of injury suits.

In Johns-Manville's index

Johns-Manville's legal department indexed the Motley 1,000 in 1984. Its index describes this document as follows:

AIA Meeting Minutes, 12/8/76 - Executive Committee. G. Gabrielson gives an update on the construction industry survey being conducted by Equitable Environmental Health, Inc. G. Gabrielson discusses the current status of the Legal-Medical Research Program in which Dr. Philip E. Enterline (Professor and Acting Chairman, Dept. of Biostatistics, University of Pittsburgh) is conducting a literature review on bronchogenic cancer and mesothelioma. Carter (J-M) and Markusson (J-M) have urged that the study be expanded to include asbestosis since "a chronology in this area would be useful in litigation of asbestosis-related cases by the industry." Gabrielson also reports that special counsel have commenced interviewing physicians around the country who might qualify as expert witnesses "in any injunctive proceeding or other litigation." Gabrielson states that the subject of an Association Captive Insurance Program will be addressed at the Directors' Meeting on 12/9 and that Walter Curtner (Insurance Manager, J-M) is available to assist the Association with this program.

Related documents

• Asbestos Information Association Minutes on Expert Witnesses and NIOSH's 0.1 Fiber Recommendation, Page 2 (1977)
• Asbestos Information Association Executive Committee Minutes on Litigation Files, Expert Witnesses and a Captive Insurer (1977)
• Philip E. Enterline to Guy G. Gabrielson, Jr. on Barry Castleman's Request for the Literature Review (1977)

About this copy

This is document 628 of the Motley 1,000, from the set the Manville Personal Injury Settlement Trust's records facility certified as true copies, pages CRMC-Motley1000-Subj-002162 to CRMC-Motley1000-Subj-002167.