Class Action Filed on Behalf of Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi Plaintiffs

NEW ORLEANS -- Welders in Louisiana recently filed a class action on behalf of plaintiffs in Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi who allegedly were exposed to welding fumes containing airborne metal, chemical substances and manganese. Gauthreaux, et al. v. Lincoln Electric, et al., No. 04-2332 (E. D. La.).

Filed Aug. 13 in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana, Gerald Gauthreaux and two other named plaintiffs contend that Lincoln Electric, Hobart Brothers, Illinois Tool Works and other defendants concealed information revealing the health hazards caused by products used during welding. The lawsuit additionally contends that the manufacturing defendants …