Johns-Manville Papers on the Death and Compensation Claim of Mary Lukasiewicz (1954)

Four Johns-Manville papers on Mary Lukasiewicz, a weaver at the Manville, New Jersey, plant from 1920 to 1952, who died on August 6, 1954, after her family sought legal advice. B. F. Stanton's memo of August 25 to M. F. Naylor set out her work history in the Weave Room and Magnesia Department, noted that the death certificate gave the cause as pulmonary asbestosis with probable bronchogenic cancer, and quoted New Jersey's time limits for occupational disease claims. A September 2 medical review of her company X-rays from 1932 to 1954 found fibrosis from 1944 on, progressing on each film, "compatible with prolonged exposure to Asbestos." On September 20, J-M's outside lawyers advised that the company "should, at this point, disclaim any liability."

What it shows

J-M's own X-ray files traced the disease in this worker's lungs for eight years before she left the company. When her family raised a claim after her death, the company's first steps were to gather her records, review the law on time limits, and take counsel's advice to disclaim liability, which John W. Fritz gave while noting "some factual question" about the cause of death.

About this copy

The first two pages of Stanton's memo of August 25, 1954, are left out of the copy here because they give Mary Lukasiewicz's Social Security number, home address and date of birth. The rest of the memo and the work history are published.

In Johns-Manville's chronology

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

Mary Lukasiewicz, Manville plantworker, filed workers' compensation claim for asbestosis and lung cancer.

Editor's note: J-M's description says Mary Lukasiewicz filed a workers' compensation claim. The papers show that her family consulted a lawyer after her death in August 1954; no filed claim is in this file.