Lockett v. HB Zachry Co.

OPINION

JANE BLAND, Justice.

This case encompasses two distinct wrongful death claims arising out of alleged occupational exposures to benzene. Clifford Lockett and Evelyn Jackson died of acute myelogenous leukemia. The Lockett heirs sued the Pharmacia Corporation (formerly known as “Monsanto”), the H.B. Zachry Company, and Union Carbide, among others, for negligence and gross negligence, alleging that exposure to benzene at the defendants’ work sites caused Lockett’s death. The Jackson heirs sued Rohm and Haas, among others, also for claims arising out of occupational benzene exposure.

Monsanto,…