In Wisconsin, Welding rod suits seek more than $30 million

A huge series of suits in Wisonsin on welding rod suits. Read the rest at the Madison County Record website...

Seven personal injury lawsuits seeking a combined total of $33.7 million were filed in Madison County Circuit Court on behalf of plaintiffs claiming they were exposed to manganese-containing welding fumes which resulted in their neurological injuries.

The "weld-rod" cases filed by Keith Short and Holly Reese of Goldenberg, Miller, Heller, & Antognoli of Edwardsville have all been assigned to Circuit Judge Nicholas Byron.

The plaintiffs include Ronald Kirback and Theodore Boyer of Madison County, James Anderson of Jerseyville County, John Petschonek and Carl Holden of St. Louis County, Rudy Recer of Jefferson County, Mo., and Paul Dunn of Franklin County, Mo. Their individual suits seek between $4.3 and $4.9 million.

In October 2003, Larry Elam of Collinsville was awarded $1 million by a Madison County jury in the first ever successfully litigated weld-rod case in the country.

In the suits filed June 28, the plaintiffs claimed they inhaled neurotoxic welding fumes while using welding products or were near people using welding products while they were working.