James Moore, 63; Worker Lost Chemical Lawsuit Against IBM

James Moore, 63, a former International Business Machines Corp. employee who unsuccessfully sued the computer giant for allegedly exposing him and other workers to harmful chemicals, died Friday in San Jose.

Moore, a 27-year IBM veteran who was first diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma in 1995, died Friday, said his daughter, Debbie Moore.

In February, Moore and co-plaintiff Alida Hernandez lost their closely watched lawsuit against IBM. Still, the case is credited with raising awareness of exposure to toxins in the workplace and the liability of companies for their employees’ health.

IBM claimed the symptoms he reported while working were the result of allergies, not exposure to chemicals at the company’s computer hard-drive factory in San Jose. In June, the company settled 50 lawsuits brought by former employees of the plant.

A native of Armona in Kings County, Moore moved to San Jose in 1966 and found work with IBM at the firm’s disc-drive manufacturing facility. Moore claimed that he was exposed to trichloroethylene and Freon at the plant.