Opinion ID: 1520564
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Frank and Theresa Alice

Text: Appellant in No. 173 PHL 84, Frank Alice, was employed at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard as a welder beginning in 1961. In 1970 or 1971, the head physician at the shipyard dispensary informed Alice that he had asbestosis. (Deposition of Frank Alice, September 22, 1983 at 87). On April 5, 1976, Alice filed and signed a Federal Employee's Notice of Injury or Occupational Disease form with the Office of Federal Employees' Compensation at the United States Department of Labor. On that form the nature of his injury is listed as Lungs, and the cause of injury is listed as Exposed to asbestos. (Memorandum of Law in Support of Appellee, Pittsburgh Corning Corporation's, Motion for Summary Judgment on behalf of all Appellees, exhibit E). On June 23, 1977, Dr. Duca of the shipyard dispensary signed a form placing Alice on permanent restrictions from exposure to asbestos. ( Id., exhibit B). Alice received a copy of this form. (Deposition of Frank Alice at 90-91). On August 29, 1977, Alice delivered a letter written by Dr. Mingroni, a private physician, to the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard informing them that Alice was suffering from asbestosis as a result of his exposure to asbestos. (Memorandum of Law in Support of Appellee, Pittsburgh Corning Corporation's, Motion for Summary Judgment, supra, exhibit D). On September 25, 1979, Frank and Theresa Alice filed a complaint against appellees alleging that Frank Alice had contracted certain diseases and injuries as a result of his exposure to appellees' asbestos products. The complaint also alleged that Theresa Alice suffered a loss of her husband's society, consortium, and assistance because of appellees' acts. On October 21, 1983, appellees filed a motion for summary judgment contending that the Alices' claims were barred by the statute of limitations. The lower court granted this motion in favor of appellees by order dated December 14, 1983. The Alices have appealed from that order. The Alices contend that the lower court erred in granting summary judgment in favor of appellees because there are genuine issues of material fact regarding Frank Alice's knowledge of his injury and its cause. The Alices argue that the statute of limitations did not begin to run until September, 1979, when Frank Alice was first able to ascertain the gravity and nature of his injury. They assert that Alice was never informed about the severity of his illness and that his physicians did not lead him to believe that his condition was permanent. Rather, he refers to his deposition testimony wherein he stated that Dr. Duca of the shipyard dispensary told him that his asbestosis was [j]ust like you got a cut and it healed and that's all. (Deposition of Frank Alice, September 22, 1983 at 88). The Alices argue that this misinformation as to the consequences of Alice's illness nullified his actual knowledge of his injury. The uncontroverted facts show that appellant was informed by a shipyard physician in 1970 or 1971 that he had asbestosis. (Deposition of Frank Alice at 87). In addition, Alice submitted a Federal Employee's Notice of Injury or Occupational Disease form dated April 5, 1976, to the United States Department of Labor listing his injury as lungs and its cause as exposure to asbestos. Alice also received a dispensary permit dated June 23, 1977, issued by Dr. Duca, placing him on permanent restrictions from exposure to asbestos and a letter from Dr. Mingroni dated August 29, 1977 stating that Alice was suffering from asbestosis as a result of his exposure to asbestos. After reviewing the uncontroverted facts, we conclude that appellees have shown that Alice knew or should have known of his injury and its cause more than two years before he commenced his action. Therefore, we affirm the order of the court below in No. 173 PHL 84.