Wrongful Death Lawsuit Filed By State Rep’s Widow -- MesoLink.org -- 12-27-04

A wrongful death lawsuit has been filed against the University if California’s board of regents by the widow of a State Rep. Harriet Ruiz, the widow of the late Raymond Ruiz of Albuquerque, states that her husband was exposed to asbestos when he worked at Los Alamos National Laboratory. Harriet claims that adequate protection was not provided, and this is why her husband was exposed to levels of asbestos exposure that finally killed him.

The University of California runs Los Alamos National Laboratory on behalf of the Unite States Department of Energy. Officials at the university have stated that the claim of Harriet Ruiz will be thoroughly investigated and that University lawyers will be reviewing her case.

The State Rep. Raymond Ruiz died at the age of 65. He had worked at the Los Alamos National Laboratory thirty years ago, and when he died had been fighting ling cancer for some time. Asbestos exposure is the known cause of mesothelioma, a deadly cancer that can affect the lungs, heart or abdomen, and before he died Raymond Ruiz insisted that his exposure to asbestos was the cause of his illness.

Harriet Ruiz has filed for damages in her claim for wrongful death, and investigations by the university coupled with reviews by legal experts will reveal whether or not Raymond was correct in his belief that his cancer was caused through his work at Los Alamos National Laboratory.