20 Asbestos Litigation Websites Taking The Internet By Storm
Asbestos Litigation
Asbestos litigation can be complex and time consuming. Multiple defendants are involved in lawsuits. Discovery can be costly and time-consuming. Statutes of limitations differ in each state.
Lawyers for mesothelioma need to demonstrate that the victim was exposed asbestos and was diagnosed with a condition that is related to asbestos, like mesothelioma, lung cancer, or another condition. They must also establish the damages that resulted from the exposure.
Asbestos Litigation History
The first asbestos lawsuits hit the US legal system in the early twentieth century. By the 1960s, researchers had determined that exposure to asbestos could trigger mesothelioma, asbestosis and other serious diseases. However companies that mined and manufactured asbestos were slow respond. In general, the law requires those who produce dangerous products to warn consumers.
In the beginning of litigation, families of victims and the plaintiffs struggled to receive the compensation they deserved. Plaintiffs often had to fight asbestos manufacturers and insurance companies to get compensation. A lot of asbestos companies were able escape lawsuits after declaring bankruptcy.
Those who survived bankruptcy were forced into funding special trusts that paid compensation to victims for pennies on the dollar. This limited the number of claimants as well as decreased the amount of damages victims could claim in the court.
Over the years, lawyers have been able to prove that asbestos producers were aware about the dangers their products posed. Some even tried to conceal this information from the public. These instances have revealed that certain companies were willing to place profits before public safety.
Ward Stephenson, an attorney in the US was the first attorney to file an asbestos-related lawsuit in 1969 on behalf of Claude Tomplait. Tomplait was a captain of a ship and worked in refineries for oil near the border between Texas and Louisiana. He later developed mesothelioma, and was awarded an amount of money by the Fifth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals.
While every mesothelioma case is unique each claimant must prove certain elements to be successful in a lawsuit. The plaintiff must generally prove that they were exposed to asbestos, that they have been diagnosed with an asbestos-related disease, and that their illness was caused by asbestos exposure. Additionally, they need to prove the extent of their losses.
Asbestos victims must make a mesothelioma claim, or any other asbestos-related claim before the statute of limitation for their state expires. The time limit for filing a claim for mesothelioma varies from state to state but typically ranges between one and three year. To ensure that you don't miss the deadline, asbestos patients and their family members must seek the help of a mesothelioma lawyer as soon as they can.
Mesothelioma Litigation The History
Asbestos litigation involves victims and their families suing for medical expenses, lost wages and suffering and pain. Financial compensation may help people who suffer from asbestos illnesses pay for life-extending treatments and help their families when they cannot work. It can also help victims and their loved ones avoid bankruptcy. It is essential for anyone diagnosed with an asbestos-related condition to start a lawsuit as soon as they can. This is because a lot of states have narrow statutes of limitations, or time limits, that set how long a person has to file a lawsuit against asbestos after diagnosis.
In the late 1960s, many asbestos victims did not realize that they had been exposed to dangerous asbestos and could develop an illness. Even so, researchers already knew that there was an association between exposure to asbestos lawsuit and lung diseases and damage. However asbestos industry kept this information from the public and workers to make a profit from asbestos products.
Nellie Kershaw, a 33-year old woman from England, filed her first lawsuit against asbestos-related companies in the early 1920s. Kershaw was employed in a plant in Rochdale that made asbestos fibers into yarn. She was in close contact with the asbestos and suffered respiratory problems from it. She tried to convince her employer to pay for her treatment, but they refused. She eventually died from fibrosis of the lungs and her death certificate linked to asbestos exposure.
Following this companies were accused of concealing asbestos-related risks and failing warn workers of the dangers. Manufacturers and insurers attempted to avoid responsibility by arguing that only certain levels of exposure to asbestos were harmful. However research has revealed that there is no safe limit for asbestos exposure.
The courts have not been fooled by these arguments. Insurance companies have been required to create trust funds to compensate those whose lives were destroyed by asbestos. Asbestos litigation is the longest-running mass tort of all time.
Patients with mesothelioma and any other asbestos-related diseases must make a claim against the companies that exposed them to the disease as soon as they can. A knowledgeable mesothelioma lawyer can determine how much compensation a victim could receive if their case is successful.
Asbestos Litigation Today
Asbestos litigation is a major issue today. It has impacted entire industries that have been forced to declare bankruptcy and establish trust funds to compensate victims.
Many workers have been diagnosed with asbestos-related illnesses. Many people have died as a result of exposure to the dangerous substance. As their health declines and they struggle to pay their medical bills, many more are facing mounting medical bills and financial losses.
The number of asbestos lawsuits filed against the main asbestos defendants are continuing to grow. Some attorneys fear that the pressures on trial dockets have forced judges to take actions that speed up trials and result in less equitable results, such as consolidation of cases and shorter lengths of time for discovery.
Some defendants are now claiming that plaintiffs are unfairly targeting them unfairly. They claim that a lot of the same firms were involved in asbestos litigation over decades, and that dozens have been bankrupted. They claim that their assets were taken and the money given to victims of claims was not sufficient to compensate victims.
They are also concerned about the rapid growth in lawsuits and are trying to find ways to control it. They argue that the cost of litigation is degrading their profit and that the awards awarded by juries are much higher than what they can afford in settlements.
As more and more people are diagnosed with this deadly disease the number of lawsuits for mesothelioma continue to rise. Some companies are refusing to settle.
The corruption charges against Sheldon Silver, former New York Assembly Speaker, also shine a light on the murky relationships between politicians and asbestos attorneys. The scandal has led to calls for a change in the way New York City’s asbestos lawsuit court handles cases.
A successful mesothelioma judgment or settlement could help victims and their families get compensation for losses such as medical bills, property damage as well as emotional distress, lost wages and the death of loved ones. A successful case may also award punitive damage to punish the defendant or discourage others from engaging in similar wrongdoing.
Real Estate Litigation
Asbestos fibers enter the lungs through the lymphatic system when they are inhaled. They can eventually cause mesothelioma and other diseases. The asbestos-related cancer affects the lung's lining and chest cavity, or peritoneum. To receive compensation, those who have suffered from mesothelioma as well as other asbestos lawyer-related illnesses should contact an attorney for mesothelioma.
The gathering of information and documents is the first step in filing a mesothelioma lawsuit. This process can take up to several months. During this period the legal team will interview those who were exposed to asbestos. They may also speak to family members, abatement workers, or even suppliers who worked with the injured individual. This will assist in creating an inventory of potential defendants. Once they have this information attorneys can begin the process of linking employers, vendors, products and other factors to the person's exposure.
A lawsuit must prove the plaintiff's mesothelioma was caused by exposure to asbestos-containing products. It is also necessary to prove that the defendant was aware of the dangers that came with the product, but failed to warn consumers and workers. To do this, the lawyers will rely on the Restatement of Torts, which states that anyone who sells a product "in a dangerous condition unreasonably dangerous to the consumer or user" is liable for damages.
In addition to the Restatement, asbestos cases are subject to other federal and state laws and cases. The law, for example states that plaintiffs need to demonstrate that they were exposed to asbestos in a particular way, like working on a site or using certain products. To be able to win a verdict, this kind of evidence needs to be presented to a jury.
According to the 2005 Rand report the year 2005, there is an increase in asbestos lawsuits. The report suggests that this is due to a number of factors, including the bankruptcy of companies facing asbestos lawsuits forcing the remaining firms to accept greater liability and resulting in more cases and lawyers filing as many cases as they can to be included on bankruptcy creditor lists.