How to File an Asbestos Lawsuit
When a lawyer for a victim is able to file an
asbestos lawsuit the defendants have 30 days to respond. The majority of defendants deny the allegations and offer a settlement to settle before the trial begins.
A trial verdict usually will result in more awards than trust fund claims or settlement offers. Patients should always seek out an attorney firm that has national experience in handling mesothelioma cases.
The history of Asbestos Litigation
Asbestos, a mineral that is fibrous found in nature, could cause many health problems. Due to its strength and fire-retardant abilities, as well as its low cost, asbestos was used in many different products until the mid-1970s. Asbestos usage soared in the United States during this time and is still present in many older buildings and structures across America. Asbestos has been linked with different types of cancers respiratory diseases, as well as mesothelioma. Asbestos lawsuits have been the longest-running mass injury in the history of America.
Asbestus lawsuits stem from fact that exposure to asbestos could cause severe and debilitating medical illnesses, including mesothelioma which is a deadly lung disease that can take years to develop. When asbestos was used, manufacturers knew of the dangers it could pose to workers and consumers but did not disclose this information. Due to this, asbestos victims may claim compensation from the manufacturer.
Defense attorneys in asbestos lawsuits employ a variety tactics to avoid paying compensation. This could include filing frivolous motions hoping that you die before your case is decided or give up. However, our mesothelioma lawyers are skilled in thwarting these attempts and ensuring that your claim moves forward.
The most significant development in
asbestos attorneys litigation was the 1965 publication of The Restatement of the Law of Torts, which stated that anyone who sells a product is hazardous to another person is responsible for the damages incurred by that person. This ruling opened the floodgates for
asbestos lawsuits.
Another breakthrough was the discovery of secret documents that revealed asbestos manufacturers tried to hide the health hazards of asbestos. These documents were used by plaintiffs in court to support their claims against asbestos companies.
Many asbestos manufacturers escaped litigation by declaring bankruptcy. When a company declares bankrupt and declares bankruptcy, it can put funds aside in trusts to will pay settlements to asbestos victims. The amount a business has to pay to file for bankruptcy is a tiny fraction of the amount it could recover in a civil suit.
As a matter of fact asbestos defendants are known to hire "experts", who would help them defend themselves in court by publishing and conducting research supported by asbestos companies. This was an obvious attempt to undermine the scientific consensus that exposure to asbestos in any form could lead to mesothelioma.
Suits of various types
Many people who suffer from mesothelioma or asbestos-related diseases didn't realize they were exposed to harmful substances. Some companies that made asbestos-containing products were aware the dangers, but chose to prioritize profits over the lives of their customers. They didn't share the information with the public. If you or someone you know has been diagnosed with an asbestos-related illness you may make a claim against the company that was responsible for your exposure and access compensation from an asbestos trust fund.
Asbestos lawsuits are civil suits, which also include cases involving personal injury and breach of contract. These cases are ruled on by an adjudicator and parties can file motions or other pleadings during the litigation.
Statute of Limitations
The asbestos statute of limitation or the time frame to bring a lawsuit against someone who is negligent is different from state to state. In general, personal injury lawsuits must be filed within a three-year window from the date that the symptoms of a victim first manifest. Particular rules are in place for mesothelioma cases. Mesothelioma is a rare disease which usually doesn't develop symptoms until years after asbestos exposure. This is the reason that victims and their families require assistance from mesothelioma lawyers to ensure that they complete their claim in time.
While the majority of personal injury claims involve accidents or injuries, asbestos victims face a unique situation. Mesothelioma,
asbestos attorneys-related diseases and other illnesses are viewed by law as "disability." This means that the victims might not be aware of or understand their symptoms until after they have suffered a major loss. This is the reason asbestos laws provide for a longer period of discovery to take into account the time period between exposure and first signs.
Another aspect that influences the time limit for an asbestos case is the location of the injured or deceased. This is because certain states have a longer statute of limitations than others. In these cases, a mesothelioma lawyer who knows the appropriate jurisdiction and who can work with the victims to file their claims in that location is essential.
Medical records and reports that correspond to the diagnosis of an asbestos disease or cancer are also essential in determining when the time limit for a statute of limitations starts. A mesothelioma lawyer may review the asbestos victim's work background to determine the potential areas of asbestos exposure.
In the end, it is important to remember that statutes of limitation may vary by type of claim and the asbestos manufacturer or employer. Many asbestos companies have closed or been sold to a different company. As such, victims must be prepared to sue several parties in order to receive maximum compensation for asbestos-related injuries and illnesses. A mesothelioma lawyer will help victims choose the most suitable defendants to sue by reviewing different types of claims.
Jury Verdicts
A judge or jury awards compensation to asbestos victims. The amount of the award could be greater or less than the settlement agreement that was reached between the company and the victim.
Asbestos litigation often involves multiple defendants. Lawyers representing plaintiffs seek justice for victims by pursuing the highest amount of compensation from defendants who contributed to the exposure of their clients to asbestos. It is important to hire attorneys who have expertise in asbestos and know how to explain technical and complicated issues to laypeople in a way that is simple to comprehend.
In recent years, the largest jury verdicts in asbestos cases were in multi-district litigation. This is where multiple cases are consolidated and tried in one place. This creates economies of scale and a more streamlined process for both parties, as well as allowing the jury to be able to see consistency in the results.
One issue that could arise in multi-district litigation is the "state of the art" defense that states that a manufacturer isn't accountable for damages resulting from exposure to the product unless it was evident at the time of the sale that the product could pose danger, or in the alternative, a buyer could have uncovered such information through a reasonable investigation. The Restatement (Second) of Torts, Section 402A Comment j, lays out the norm.
A lot of times, an asbestos victim has suffered from other illnesses like asbestosis before acquiring the more serious cancer of mesothelioma. Since the symptoms of mesothelioma can be similar to those of other breathing disorders and conditions, it is crucial for asbestos lawyers (
Telegra blog post) to engage medical experts who can distinguish the two diseases and demonstrate that mesothelioma can be directly connected to asbestos exposure.
For example, in 2019 Kazan McClain Satterley & Greenwood won a verdict of $12 million against Johnson & Johnson and Colgate-Palmolive for a worker who died from mesothelioma. The jury's verdict for the victim and her husband was considerably higher than previous verdicts in this case, despite defense of the defendants that smoking cigarettes increased the risk of developing lung cancer due to asbestos exposure.