Opinion ID: 180868
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Liable Employer

Text: [8] In ALJ Mapes’ first decision, he applied an analysis similar to the one we set out above. ALJ Mapes found that Claimant had met the § 20(a) “some evidence” standard against Lockheed, the last employer in the proceeding, and that Lockheed had failed to rebut the § 20(a) presumption, because Lockheed had not provided any contrary evidence. 19872 ALBINA ENGINE & MACHINE v. OWCP ALJ Mapes then concluded that Lockheed was the responsible employer. [9] Our own analysis yields the same conclusion. Claimant did submit some admissible evidence of asbestos exposure at Lockheed: (1) a deposition statement from George Norgaard, a former employee of Owens-Corning Fiberglass, that OwensCorning stored asbestos-containing materials at Lockheed’s shipyard during the period when Decedent worked there and that at times workers for Owens-Corning installed pipe insulation containing asbestos on ships being constructed in Lockheed’s yard; (2) testimony from Decedent’s first wife that he used to come home from work at Lockheed’s shipyard with dusty clothes; (3) testimony from a Dr. Zbinden describing statements that Decedent made to Claimant and Dr. Zbinden regarding his asbestos exposure; and (4) testimony from Claimant regarding statements made by Decedent. Norgaard’s deposition does not conclusively establish that Decedent worked around asbestos at Lockheed, but it does constitute reasonable circumstantial evidence of exposure: Norgaard describes the installation of asbestos-containing materials by Owens-Corning employees on ships being constructed in shipyards, including Lockheed’s, beginning in 1957, and also notes that members of “almost all” other crafts (presumably including carpentry, Decedent’s craft) were in the vicinity when these materials were being installed.4 ALJ Berlin also found that Dr. Zbinden’s and Claimant’s testimony only establishes that the Decedent thought he was exposed to asbestos in his shipyard employment in general, and not that Decedent specifically thought he was exposed at Lockheed. But in cross-examination at the hearing before ALJ Mapes in 2004, Claimant in fact stated that Decedent did 4 ALJ Berlin correctly points out that Norgaard admitted that OwensCorning did little or no installation work on destroyers at Lockheed’s yard for a period of time, but that period was 1965 to 1970, not the period of Decedent’s employment. ALBINA ENGINE & MACHINE v. OWCP 19873 name Lockheed (not by name, but as “some employer” in Seattle for whom he worked for two years) as one of three places where he was exposed to asbestos. The Board mistakenly dismissed these statements as “not proof of exposure.” In fact, they do constitute evidence sufficient to invoke the § 20(a) presumption under the standard previously applied by this court. See Ramey, 134 F.3d at 960. [10] Lockheed, on the other hand, did not submit any evidence, let alone substantial evidence, to rebut the evidence against it. As the last (most recent) employer to fail to rebut the § 20(a) presumption, it is liable for payment of benefits.