Merlin Olsen's heirs settle lawsuit

Updated: September 19, 2011, 5:53 PM ET
Associated Press

LOS ANGELES -- The family of Hall of Fame football player and actor Merlin Olsen has settled a lawsuit with several asbestos companies that they say caused the rare form of cancer he contracted late in life.

Attorneys for Olsen's wife and three children filed a notice of settlement on Wednesday in Los Angeles without providing further details.

A member of the Los Angeles Rams' "Fearsome Foursome" in the 1960s, Olsen died in March 2010 after battling mesothelioma.

Olsen claimed the cancer of the lung lining was caused by exposure to asbestos products at construction sites he worked on as a youth. The settlement covers 10 companies that manufactured or used the products.

The former defensive tackle later appeared in the TV series "Little House on the Prairie" as well as commercials and NFL broadcasts.


Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press

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