Daughter sues asbestos companies over father's death

The daughter of a Cook County man is suing, claiming her father died from mesothelioma after allegedly being exposed to asbestos.

Jorie Hodge Fifield, as administrator of the Estate of Victor Hodge, filed a lawsuit May 5 in the Cook County Circuit Court against A.W. Chesterton Co., H.B. Fuller Co., Union Carbide Corp. and dozens of others, citing asbestos exposure.

According to the suit, Hodge was exposed to asbestos between 1950 and 1993, during which time he worked as a electronics technician, shipbuilder, laborer and interior communications electrician with or around products manufactured and distributed by the defendants.

Fifield alleges Hodge was diagnosed with mesothelioma on Oct. 17, as a direct result of his exposure to asbestos and he died Nov. 5. She is seeking damages in an amount in excess of the jurisdictional minimum and is being represented in the case by Chicago attorney Matthew J. Adair of Cooney & Conway.

Cook County Court Case No. 2014L004885.

This is a report on a civil lawsuit filed at the Cook County Courthouse. The details in this report come from an original complaint filed by a plaintiff. Please note, a complaint represents an accusation by a private individual, not the government. It is not an indication of guilt, and it only represents one side of the story.