If you or a family
member has mesothelioma or asbestos cancer, you may be able to
bring a claim against the makers of asbestos that are legally
responsible for their products. The claims may provide a settlement
of between one and three million dollars -although in some cases
the funds are no longer available or the responsible company
cannot be located. While no amount of compensation can buy a
medical miracle and cure the cancer, a settlement can pay for
expensive treatments and eliminate the anxiety of mounting medical
bills. Additionally the payments force the corporations to take
responsibility in the only way they understand- making them pay.
The vast majority of the claims are settled before trial. When
cases do go before a jury, the awards reflect the anger jurors
feel when they hear and see the evidence of corporate misbehavior,
in 2003 a jury handed down a $250 million dollar verdict to the
family of a steel worker who died from mesothelioma. See what makes people
so angry >>.
How the Legal Process Works
In order to be eligible for a legal claim you will need to prove:
1) You or a loved one has Mesothelioma or a recognized asbestos
cancer. ( Our Attorneys know the science and the demonstrated
connection with asbestos).
2) That you were exposed to an asbestos product at work or at
home. (Your attorney can help you find out).
3) Find the companies responsible for the asbestos product. (Your
attorney will do this).
Who is not eligible. You should contact us, if you are unsure,
but the most common reasons for the inability to bring a claim
are:
1) The case is too old. State and federal laws require legal
claims for asbestos injuries to begin within a short period of
time after the person is diagnosed or deceased. Usually 1-3 years
from the date of diagnosis or death. Act right away if you believe
you have a case, as your rights can be extinguished by the passage
of time.
2) The company is bankrupt and all funds are gone. Note: Many
companies have declared bankruptcy protection, but still have
tens of millions of dollars left to pay injured workers. In the
past five years major asbestos manufacturers have filed for bankruptcy
protection, including: Babcock & Wilcox; Owens-Corning Fiberglass;
Pittsburgh Corning; Armstrong World Industries; GAF-Ruberoid;
W.R. Grace, and United States Gypsum. If your exposure
involved products made by these companies, this could impact
your case. Asbestos makers continue to file for bankruptcy protection
which makes it important to file a claim as soon as possible.
Attorneys associated
with this web site are among the national leaders in asbestos
litigation and each year they file several hundred claims for
victims with mesothelioma, representing a substantial number
of total claims filed in the country (in the past few years attorneys
associated with this web site have handled around 20% of the
asbestos claims filed in court in the country). These attorneys
are well versed in the history of corporate misconduct and have
repeatedly demonstrated the connection between asbestos use and
a mesothelioma diagnosis made many years later.
Although each case is different, here are some representative
multi-million dollar awards handled by our attorneys.
$3,800,000 Awarded to College Professor Exposed to Asbestos
Our client was a middle aged woman diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma,
a rare form of cancer whose only known cause is asbestos exposure.
Most of her adult life, our client has been a college professor
with no apparent exposure to asbestos. However, when she was
young, her father worked in construction and unknowingly brought
home asbestos fibers on his work clothes. She was also exposed
to asbestos when she worked in construction to pay her way through
graduate school in the early 1980s. After her diagnosis with
mesothelioma, she underwent radical surgery to remove part of
her lung. A lawsuit was brought against the manufacturers of
the asbestos products to which she was exposed and the settlements
totaled over $3.8 million.
$3,600,000
Million Awarded to CPA Exposed to Asbestos
A 39-year-old CPA, a husband and the father of a young daughter,
was diagnosed with mesothelioma. Although his current job did
not expose him to asbestos, the environment in which he grew
up and his early work history did. First, our client grew up
and played near a plant that was believed to have been dumping
waste into an area in close proximity to a body of water in which
our client played. During high school and college, our client
worked in a processing plant where he believed he was exposed
to spray-on freezer insulation. Additionally, our client was
exposed to asbestos while assisting his father in home repairs
where they used drywall and floor tiles. Based on this, our attorneys
got him an award of $3.6 million.
$7,400,000
Awarded to Mesothelioma Victim's Family
Our client died at the age of 55 of malignant mesothelioma. He
was exposed to asbestos aboard ships while in the navy and later
at various construction sites while working as an elevator repairman.
A lawsuit was brought against the manufacturers of the asbestos
products he was exposed to and the settlements to our client's
family totaled over $7.4 million.
$4,200,000
Awarded to Malignant Mesothelioma Victim
From the time he was a young boy, our client, the son of a construction
company owner, was involved in many aspects of construction and
was exposed to a number of asbestos containing products (insulation,
dry wall, cement, and plumbing, carpentry, and roofing supplies,
etc). As an adult, he worked various jobs that also exposed him
to asbestos. Our client was 42 years old when he was diagnosed
with mesothelioma. He was awarded $4.2 million.
Attorneys can
help you identify the source of the asbestos exposure (even if
you are unsure of where it occurred), determine the companies
responsible (each claim usually involves many defendants in the
region or industry associated with the victim) and help you collect
a large settlement, potentially millions of dollars.
To see if you qualify for benefits, please contact us below for
a free, confidential discussion about your legal rights. Terms and conditions