W.Va. Court Affirms Denial of Asbestos-Related Benefits to Widow of Former Aluminum Plant Worker

CHARLESTON, W.Va. –– A West Virginia appellate court has affirmed the denial of benefits to the widow of a former aluminum plant worker, saying that there was sufficient evidence that exposure to asbestos did not cause the worker’s lung cancer.

In the March 27 order, the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals said the Occupational Pneumoconiosis Board did not err when it found that it was unable to make a diagnosis of asbestosis based on radiology studies.

Stella Watkins filed a claim for dependent benefits, saying that her husband, Clay Watkins Jr., developed squamous cell carcinoma of the right lung …