Sterling v. Velsicol Chemical Corporation
United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
855 F.2d 1188 (1988)
- Written by Alex Ruskell, JD
Facts
Woodrow Sterling (plaintiff) and several other plaintiffs sued Velsicol Chemical Corporation (defendant) after Sterling and the other plaintiffs were exposed to cancer-causing chemical waste that leaked from Velsicol’s landfill. Among the claims for different types of damages, Sterling sought recovery for his fear of future disease and for the increased likelihood that he would get cancer and other diseases due to his chemical exposure. The court ruled in Sterling’s favor for both types of damages, finding that he showed he had a reasonable fear of contracting disease due to the chemical exposure and that his risk for susceptibility to cancer or other diseases was increased between 25 and 35 percent. Velsicol appealed, arguing that there was insufficient evidence to support a finding of causation between Sterling’s alleged injuries and his chemical exposure to support these types of damages.
Rule of Law
Issue
Holding and Reasoning (Guy, J.)
What to do next…
Here's why 832,000 law students have relied on our case briefs:
- Written by law professors and practitioners, not other law students. 46,500 briefs, keyed to 994 casebooks. Top-notch customer support.
- The right amount of information, includes the facts, issues, rule of law, holding and reasoning, and any concurrences and dissents.
- Access in your classes, works on your mobile and tablet. Massive library of related video lessons and high quality multiple-choice questions.
- Easy to use, uniform format for every case brief. Written in plain English, not in legalese. Our briefs summarize and simplify; they don’t just repeat the court’s language.
