Guy G. Gabrielson, Jr. of Nicolet to William Simpson of Raybestos-Manhattan on the Tyler, Texas Suits (1974)

A three-page letter of July 19, 1974, from Guy George Gabrielson, Jr., president of Nicolet Industries, to William Simpson, president of Raybestos-Manhattan. The Asbestos Textile Institute had been named a defendant in two suits against Pittsburgh Corning by employees of its Tyler, Texas plant. Gabrielson warned that, "if not properly defended," the cases might hold that the health hazards of asbestos "were known long before that actually could have been the case" and that an employer has a duty to warn "no matter how slight the hazard may be." He proposed that asbestos companies form a special association to intervene in the cases, as a third-party defendant or as amicus curiae. A one-page handwritten list of plants follows, with notes such as "Very Bad," "Bad" and "Clean."

What it shows

Gabrielson wrote that the Tyler decisions could set precedents exposing manufacturers to "judgments which might cost literally millions of dollars. The stakes are high." He also noted that other manufacturers might want the record to show that conditions at Tyler were "deplorable so that, in the future, conditions in their plants may be distinguished." The letter shows asbestos companies planning together how to shape the court record in the first large group of worker suits over the Tyler plant. The attached handwritten list rates plants, including J-M's Manville plant, by past and present dust conditions.

In Johns-Manville's index

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

Guy G. Gabrielson, Jr. (President, Nicolet) letter to William Simpson (President, R-M), 7/19/74, regarding the recently filed suit against Pittsburgh Corning for damages to the health of employees allegedly suffered while they were working in the Tyler, Texas plant. Gabrielson is concerned that the Tyler, Texas cases could have far-reaching effects on all manufacturers in the asbestos industry if not properly defended. "The stakes are high." Gabrielson recommends that a group of companies in the industry join together to intervene in the Tyler cases as third party defendants or amicus curiae in order to protect their interests. Gabrielson states that he will be contacting the chief executive officers of several companies which produce or use asbestos fibre for their comments. Attached is a one-page handwritten note with what appears to be a list of plants (some are J-M) and notations of "Bad, Very Bad, Clean."

Duplicate of Motley Document #618.

About this copy

These are documents 618 and 621 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-002085 to CRMC-Motley1000-Subj-002088.