There are specific ways to find the right asbestos cancer lawyer for you and your family. About 80 percent of these cases are due to asbestos exposure on the job. Mesothelioma cancer is specific in that it generally has a latency period of 20 to 40 years before symptoms start to appear in the patient. When a diagnosis is finally made, many mesothelioma patients find themselves in the final stages of the disease with only about a year left to live. A time like this in anyone’s life can be trying. It is important to contact an asbestos attorney to learn what monetary damages you might be entitled to.
Though you or a family member might currently be receiving treatment for mesothelioma cancer, it doesn’t mean that someone isn’t responsible for your pain and suffering. Asbestos lawsuits have skyrocketed in the United States and with well over 600,000 cases filed have become the largest tort in U.S. history. Asbestos lawsuits which generally fall under tort litigation include individuals who were exposed to large amounts of asbestos and/or exposed over a long period of time during their employment. Your asbestos cancer lawyer will file suit against the defendants who are most likely manufacturing companies, builders, installers and rental agents. These defendants are thought to be responsible for the asbestos exposure. Plaintiffs in these cases include individuals who had direct exposure to asbestos in the work place or even family members who received secondhand exposure.
The objective for your asbestos cancer attorney is to recover monetary damages, although there are other moral factors to consider. Financial settlements may include medical bills, recovery for lost earnings and pain and suffering. Sometimes punitive damages are awarded to plaintiffs. These damages are intended to penalize the defendant. Some states even allow the plaintiff to sue for asbestos exposure that might lead to an asbestos-related disease in the future. Asbestos lawsuits as a whole have educated the public to the dangers of asbestos. As lawsuits increase and publicity is raised, more individuals are becoming aware of their symptoms that have been dormant for so long.
History has proved that asbestos manufacturers knew long before the medical community about the dangers associated with asbestos. Many tried to conceal these facts and were successful for almost 40 years. In 1977, an asbestos cancer attorney representing a client with asbestosis uncovered documents that agreed to suppress information from the general public from an asbestos manufacturer to a distributor. This deliberate disregard for workers is inexcusable and was the catalyst for asbestos litigation.
Many companies involved in asbestos exposure have gone bankrupt in recent years due to the widespread amount of asbestos lawsuits filed. This has resulted in legal proceedings being suspended against these companies while bankruptcy courts approve plans for reorganization arrangements. These plans generally involve a trust being set up to handle all asbestos personal injury claims and must be approved by the bankruptcy court. This whole course of legal interviews, research and cases can take months, even years to settle.