John-Russell Bart Pate

Hess can trick and Hess can play But Justice, she will come one day. Hess can run and Hess can hide From when my father died. Hess has filed a fake bankruptcy From those they sicken, oh Hess does flee. But like my father’s lungs, Choked with asbestos he inhale Hess scheming plans will fail. ...As oil will float to the top of water I pray justice will come to my deserving father. Others breathe shallow breaths The logo “Hess” once across their chests. In that refinery, they gave their best To earn a reward of an early death. Struggling to breathe while cancer grows From the years of work where asbestos blows. “We are helping the USVI” This was Hess’ very big lie Why did you not protect them from cancer This Hess will not answer. Instead, Hess runs and hides Another day, another former worker dies, His sons, his daughters, left to cry. Oh most High hear our Prayer Hess may have never cared It’s god has always been the Almighty Dollar So it’s workers were just lambs to the slaughter Their health no more than a wager or a bet But now, our fathers’ lives are Hess’ debt Long overdue and never paid Justice denied and justice delayed So Hess can trick and Hess can play But Justice. Justice will come one Day. ~Moses Gottlieb

I wash my husbands coverall when he worked at Hess in the 1980s. Those clothes were dirty, dusty and smelled so bad. But I never know that the dust was damaging my lungs. I learned that the 1972 law that OHSA law that Hess was supposed to have showers and changing rooms for all the workers so they... could change out of the asbestos clothes and put on clean clothes to come home. But Hess never build the showers and changing rooms. They just sent the men home. They never tell the men they are taking hom asbestos to their families! These men went to work to support their families - not to bring danger home to their families. So so many woman like me, been washing their mans clothes and now we exposed to the asbestos in our lungs. Many of my friends who washed coveralls like me, start having breathing problems too. And we never smoke and we do morning walking. Attorney Pate is the first attorney who start to look out for us, as we had been forgotten. Thank you Attorney Pate.

We came to St. Croix on a bond and we did whatever we were told so we could stay with our wives and families. No job too big or too small. We worked very hard. Dirty, hot, oily, dusty, smelly, sweaty jobs. But we did not know we were working with asbestos in insulation. We were not told about th...e 1972 OSAH asbestos laws. Now in our silver years, when we should be able to rest, but we are out of breathe, with scarred lungs. Thank you Pate for Fighting for us. You and your team effort have enhanced the life of many of us. May God continue to bless you all.

My father got cancer. He was an operator and maintenance man. He was working with asbestos and benzene and no one every told him of the dangers or gave him the right protective equipment. We look for many attorneys, until someone sent us to Attorney Pate. He spent time with my father and my famil...y and brought a lawsuit. I wouldn’t wish asbestosis or leukemia on even my worst enemy. It is a very emotional and stressful time, but at lease we have Attorney Pate and his team on our side. And maybe some justice one day.