WARREN Asbestos death trial to continue

Trumbull County Court officials believe the case will last about a week.
WARREN -- Testimony is scheduled to continue today in the wrongful-death suit on behalf of a Masury man alleged to have died of a cancer known to be caused by exposure to asbestos fibers.
Lois J. Missik, executrix of the estate of Michael Missik Jr., is asking the court for an amount in excess of $25,000.
John Crane Inc. of Morton Grove, Ill., and The Gage Co., Hickory Street, Sharon, Pa., defendants in the suit, have denied the allegations.
The jury began hearing the case Monday; court officials believe it will last about a week.
Judge assigned: Visiting Judge Mitchell Shaker, a retired Trumbull County Common Pleas Court judge, is presiding.
A visiting judge was assigned because the four Trumbull common pleas judges were handling other matters, court officials said.
Missik, 61, died May 17, 1995, from mesothelioma, an incurable cancer of the mesothelial membranes that line the chest and abdominal cavities, according to court documents filed by Missik's attorneys.
The attorneys also state in court documents that mesothelioma is known to be caused by exposure to asbestos fibers, which infiltrate the lungs.
Worked at GATX: Missik worked at General American Transportation Corp. in Masury from 1962 to 1984. Court documents say that during the time of his employment the defendants "were engaged in the business of designing, processing, manufacturing, selling, distributing, and/or supplying asbestos-containing products to and for use at the GATX facility in Masury."
Missik's attorneys also state that the defendants "knew or should have known" of the dangers of asbestos-containing products.