Chrysler Subpoenas Deceased Man at His Own Funeral

The Chrysler company sent a process server to the funeral of Harold St. John of New Jersey last week, demanding that Mr. St. John’s body undergo further testing to prove that he did in fact die as a result of mesothelioma cancer.

A lawsuit filed by Mr. St. John, a retired airline worker, named Chrysler and Honeywell as responsible for his asbestos exposure, and a trial was scheduled to begin today. Mr. St. John alleged that he was exposed to asbestos while installing automobile brakes in his father’s automobile shop in the late fifties and sixties. A number of cases of asbestos cancer as a result of exposure to asbestos-laden automobile brakes have been reported, as asbestos usage was not regulated until the late seventies. Asbestos was widely used in brake linings and brake pads due to its ability to withstand high temperatures.

Following his death on February 28th, the trial was postponed.

Chrysler secured a court order on the day of Mr. St. John’s funeral, which mandated that his body be accessible for further tissue testing, and a process server was sent to the funeral home where the funeral director was served with court documents. Mr. St. John’s body was not buried.

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