IN RE HEARING LOSSES I

Nos. 26356-26361, 26423.

539 S.E.2d 112 (2000)

In re HEARING LOSSES I (Seven Cases). John Rucker, et al., Plaintiffs Below, Danny R. Catron, Delmer P. Fields, Claude D. Frazier, Asher L. Isner, Theodore R. Johnson, Jr., Russell W. Lough, Arthur D. Matheny, Paul G. McClanahan, Thomas F. McClanahan, Roy R. Meadows, Wesley C. Medley, Lovell M. Parker, Leo B. Priddy, Tex A. Priddy, Frank D. Rapp, Jesse Rine, Melvin L. Smith, Harold S. Vanmeter, Charlie Wallace, Daniel W. Westfall, and Ronald Wilson, Plaintiffs Below, Appellants, v. Deere & Company, Inc., et al., Defendants Below, Appellees. John R. Rucker, et al., Plaintiffs Below, Ernest Bolyard, Walter Davis, John Deem, Donnie Flinn, Claude Frazier, Robert Gidley, Asher Isner, Russell Lough, Paul McClanahan, William Medley, Raymond Pauley, Arthur Rainwater, Melvin Smith, Daniel Sydenstricker, Harold Vanmeter, Charlie Wallace and Daniel Westfall, Plaintiffs Below, Appellants, v. Ingersoll-Rand Company, et al., Defendants Below, Appellees. Burton Anderson, Carroll Barnette, Vernon Beaver, Roger Beckett, Charles Boggess, Ernest Bolyard, Ronald Cavicchia, Jack Comer, Larry Cummings, Walter Davis, John Deem, Edwin Edwards, Herman Fisher, Donnie Flinn, Robert Gidley, William Gidley, Sebert Harrison, George Hashman, Dwight Hunt, Ernest Z. Hunt, John Hunter, Russell Johnson, Raymond Laney, Jackie Maynard, Daniel Nathan McVicker, Russell Meadows, William Medley, Raymond Pauley, Robert Phillips, Elvin Pyne, Henry Rainey, Ronnie Rainey, Arthur Rainwater, John Rucker, Roy Sayre, Joseph S. Sexton, James Stevens, Everett Stover, Daniel Sydenstricker, William Ward, Darrell Westfall, Clarence White and Nile Witt, Plaintiffs Below, Appellants, v. Case Corporation, et al., Defendants Below, Appellees. John R. Rucker, et al., Plaintiffs Below, Burton Anderson, Charles Boggess, Ernest Bolyard, Danny Catron, Larry Cummings, John Deem, Delmar P. Fields, Herman Fisher, Donnie Flinn, Claude D. Frazier, George Hashman, Ernest Z. Hunt, John Hunter, Arthur D. Matheny, Paul McClanahan, Thomas F. McClanahan, Daniel Nathan McVicker, William Medley, Henry Rainey, Frank D. Rapp, Joseph S. Sexton, Melvin L. Smith, James Stevens, Everett Stover, Daniel Sydenstricker and Harold S. Vanmeter, Plaintiffs Below, Appellants, v. Ford Motor Company, et al., Defendants Below, Appellees. John R. Rucker, et al., Plaintiffs Below, Burton Anderson, Carroll Barnette, Vernon Beaver, Roger Becket, Charles Boggess, Ernest Bolyard, Danny Catron, Ronald Cavicchia, Jack Comer, Larry Cummings, Walter Davis, John Deem, Edwin Edwards, Herman Fisher, Donnie Flinn, Claude D. Frazier, Robert Gidley, William Gidley, Sebert Harrison, George Hashman, Dwight Hunt, Ernest Z. Hunt, John Hunter, Russell Johnson, Raymond Laney, Jackie Maynard, Paul McClanahan, Daniel Nathan McVicker, Russell Meadows, William Medley, Lovell Parker, Raymond Pauley, Robert Phillips, Elvin Pyne, Henry Rainey, Ronnie Rainey, Arthur Rainwater, John Rucker, Roy Sayre, Joseph S. Sexton, Melvin Smith, James Stevens, Everett Stover, Daniel Sydenstricker, William Ward, Darrell Westfall, Clarence White and Nile Witt, Plaintiffs Below, Appellants, v. Bomag, et al., Defendants Below, Appellees. Donald E. Kelly, Plaintiff Below, Appellant, v. Compaction America, Inc. (fka Bomag, U.S.A.), et al., Defendants Below, Appellees. Basil Allen, et al., Plaintiffs Below, Appellants, v. Bomag, et al., Defendants Below, Appellees.

Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia.

Decided July 13, 2000.


Attorney(s) appearing for the Case

Stuart Calwell, Esq., David H. Carriger, Esq., John H. Kozak, Esq., D. Christopher Hedges, Esq., Law Offices of Stuart Calwell, PLLC, Charleston, West Virginia, Attorneys for Appellants.

John R. McGhee, Jr., Esq., Katherine A. Jones, Esq., Kay, Casto & Chaney, PLLC, Charleston, West Virginia, Attorneys for Chrysler Corporation and Ford Motor Company.

A.L. Emch, Esq., Gretchen M. Callas, Esq., Jackson & Kelly, Charleston, West Virginia, Attorneys for Caterpillar, Inc.

James D. Lamp, Esq., Lamp, O'Dell, Bartram & Entsminger, Huntington, West Virginia, and John J. O'Donnell (Pro Hac Vice), Joseph E. O'Neil (Pro Hac Vice), Charles H. Edelin (Pro Hac Vice), Lavin, Coleman, O'Neil, Ricci, Finarelli & Gray, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Attorneys for General Motors Corp.

Larry A. Winter, Esq., Carey, Hill, Scott, Winter & Johnson, Charleston, West Virginia, Attorney for Terex Cranes.

Paul K. Vey, Esq., Pietragallo, Bosick & Gordon, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Attorney for Joy Technologies (Bankruptcy Stay).

Charles F. Bagley, III, Esq., Campbell, Woods, Bagley, Emerson, McNeer & Herndon, Charleston, West Virginia, Attorney for Cummins Engine Co.

Robert B. Allen, Esq., William Scott Wickline, Esq., Allen, Guthrie & McHugh, Charleston, West Virginia and Adam E. Miller (Pro Hac Vice), J. William Newbold (Pro Hac Vice), Thompson Coburn, Attorneys for Ingersoll-Rand Co.

Fred Adkins, Esq., Melissa G. Foster, Esq., Huddleston, Bolen, Beatty, Porter & Copen, Huntington, West Virginia, Attorneys for Case Corporation and Compaction America.

William J. Ryan (Pro Hac Vice), Thomas R. Mulroy, Jr. (Pro Hac Vice), James P. Fieweger (Pro Hac Vice), Laura A. Ten-Broeck (Pro Hac Vice), Jenner & Block, Chicago, Illinois, Attorneys for Case Corporation.

R. Michael Pleska, Esq., Ronda L. Harvey, Esq., Bowles Rice McDavid Graff & Love, Charleston, West Virginia, Attorneys for Manitowoc, Inc.

W. Randolph Fife, Esq., Ancil G. Ramey, Esq., Steptoe & Johnson, Charleston, West Virginia, Attorneys for Deere & Company, Inc.

Jonathan L. Griffith (Pro Hac Vice), John H. Beisner (Pro Hac Vice), O'Melveny & Myers, Washington, D.C., Attorneys for Ford Motor Company.

Susan M. Harman, Esq., Bell & Associates, Charleston, West Virginia, Attorney for Walker Machinery.

Michael Bonasso, Esq., Robert P. Lorea, Esq., Flaherty, Sensabaugh & Bonasso, Charleston, West Virginia, Attorneys for Komatsu.

L. John Argento, Esq., Dickie, McCamey & Chilocote, P.C., Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Attorney for Jimco.

Thomas E. Williams (Pro Hac Vice), Lee Davis Thames (Pro Hac Vice), Butler, Snow, O'Mara, Stevens & Cannada, Jackson, Mississippi and Richard A. Hayhurst, Esq., Andrew C. Woofter, III, Esq., Parkersburg, West Virginia, Attorneys for Link-Belt Construction.


PER CURIAM:

In this proceeding, the Court has consolidated seven separate appeals which involve essentially the same issues and which the Court believes should be resolved in the same way. Each appeal, except Appeal No. 26361, is from a decision of the Circuit Court of Kanawha County in a consolidated case involving numerous plaintiffs.1 In each decision, the circuit court granted the defendants summary judgment on the ground that the...

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