Manufacturing & Fabrication
Donzi faces lawsuit over worker’s death

Boating Industry
Friday August 10, 2007


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BRADENTON, Fla. – Boat builder Donzi Marine is being sued over the November 2006 death of an employee due to the inhalation of carpet glue fumes, the Bradenton Herald reported in an article today. The worker was installing the carpet within a yacht cabin when he fell unconscious.

The lawsuit, filed Wednesday in Bradenton circuit court by Luis Esteban Martinez’ family members, suggests that Donzi knew of the dangers of the methylene chloride found within the Permagrip 105 glue, the newspaper reported.

The lawsuit follows an Occupational Safety & Health Administration investigation, after which the company was fined more than $26,000 for exposing Martinez to “high levels of toxic fumes” and not giving him “the correct safety equipment to prevent his death,” according to the newspaper.

The family is asking for more than $15,000 in damages, the newspaper reported. Donzi production manager Larry H. Daughtery is also named as a defendant in the lawsuit.

When contacted by the newspaper yesterday, Donzi didn’t comment because it said it had yet to receive a copy of it.

$15,000.00 suit for a loss of life???Dave

Damn, that's cheap. If I were Donzi, I'd just pay them. A lawyer's going to cost at least that much.

All kidding aside, sucks when someone loses a life while trying to make a living.

My thoughts exactly....Dave

The problem would be if they pay it they admit being negligent, then the family will sue for wrongful death and that will be for the big bucks...

Just my $.02

That's what I was thinking......that makes four cents.

I am an electrical contractor and no matter how much I spend on the safety equipt. there still is those who wont wear it. If they would have at least supplied the right equipt I wouldnt think they could be 100% liable.

A tragedy none the less.

sounds like the family isnt going overboard with their lawsuit...$15k probably barely covered the funeral expenses and loss of income for them. If I were Donzi, I'd step up and pay just because an employee (to me) is like a family member..

thats exactly why donzi won't just pay it, they'd rather go to court and work out a deal, i'm willing to bet the family is going to get money from this tho, and probaly more than 15k....

don't anyone read the warning lables on stuff anymore?

The "more than" language is standard lawsuit stuff. It does NOT mean that the plaintiff will settle for that amount. It simply gets the suit going.

It's common for such suits to be settled for millions, especially if the case gets in front of a jury.

Donzi could offer the family hundreds of thousands right now, and I doubt they'd accept it.