UPDATE QUOTE: AUGUST 27, 2015
Local man is representing himself so far in controversial case
FRANKFORT — Lewis Williamson went to college.
A great achievement for him, one of if not the first college graduate in his family, but after obtaining a BSN Nursing degree in 2002 at Morehead State University the Nats Creek resident began experiencing pain and symptons that were mysterious until doctors diagnosed him with a variety of lung diseases related to asbestors.
The asbestos, Williamson, 61, says in his lawsuit filed in Franklin Circuit Court on August 11, 2015, caused him to become disabled and he had to quit a $65 per hour contract job in 2010. He was not able to work at all after that.
“…After several years of investigation and severe inflammation Williamson learned of a pleural plaque in 2012. Dr. Alesha Sidker diagnosed abbestos disease in Sept of 2014,” the lawsuit says. “Investigation revealed quite a few citations of Morehead State University by the Kentucky Occupational Safety Health Agency. MSU published a policy to KOSH to deal with asbestos.”
Williamson says in the suit that MSU negligently and intentionally ignored the absentee risks which eventually caused his and possibly hundreds of thousands of other students who were, he said, to be exposed to the asbestos.
In addition to the $1 million for lost wages and income and $1 million in pain and suffering, Williamson is asking for $20 million in punitive damages.
He also wants the court to grant a class action status to his lawsuit because of the nearly 100 buildings at MSU that potentially have the asbestos contamination {whereby} he asks that $1 BILLION be set aside in trust by MSU for future cases.
Jane Fitzpatrick, the attorney of record for MSU said, “Morehead State University does not comment on any current or pending litigation.”
A lawsuit states only one side of any case.
