Asbestos Law and Mesothelioma Litigation Information

Currently more than 200,000 asbestos litigation cases are in court and 50,000 new asbestos lawsuits are expected to be filed each year. Asbestos products have not been used in construction for many years, however experienced mesothelioma lawyers understand that this is a disease that can quietly develop over decades. A worker might have been exposed to asbestos as long as thirty or forty years ago only to be recently diagnosed with mesothelioma. And by this time it is usually too late.

Despite a large and growing number of asbestos lawsuits and cases being filed with mesothelioma lawyers across the nation, there are relatively few mesothelioma lawsuits filed when compared to this number. No more than about 2,500 mesothelioma lawsuits are filed each year. In fact, mesothelioma law and settlements comprise a fraction of the litigation surrounding asbestos law. While other asbestos related diseases like asbestosis and other more minor forms of asbestos injury could merit an asbestos settlement, the most severe form of asbestos injury is mesothelioma. It is also the most rare form of asbestos injury.

Legislation has been written that could alter asbestos and mesothelioma law by threatening the existence of all asbestos and mesothelioma lawsuits and subsequent settlements. This is because the current and potential financial liability that the asbestos industry and related companies are facing is enough to bankrupt many large, and otherwise successful, corporations. For the plaintiff suffering from debilitating asbestos diseases like asbestosis and mesothelioma, this means that time is likely running out if they wish to file an asbestos case or mesothelioma lawsuit.

For those with a viable mesothelioma case, there may be substantial compensation available if they act quickly to contact a mesothelioma lawyer who is proficient in asbestos law and proving asbestos exposure. Many times, mesothelioma asbestos lawsuits end up in a mesothelioma settlement without ever going to trial. This is usually the best-case scenario for the plaintiff in a mesothelioma case. Since the only known cause of mesothelioma is asbestos, once exposure is proven, there is little the defendant can do to argue their position.

This is not to say that the asbestos industry will not try its best to argue its position. It is important to recognize that this is the same industry that actively concealed the risks of asbestos exposure from its employees and consumers for decades. This is why retaining an experienced mesothelioma lawyer with a background in asbestos law, can help you and your family get the asbestos settlement or verdict you deserve.

Asbestos was discovered to be a carcinogen in the first half of the twentieth century. Around 1900 a British doctor, Dr. H. Montague Murray noticed the effects of scarring of the lungs (pulmonary fibrosis) while performing an autopsy on an asbestos factory worker. Doctors began noticing the negative health effects of factory workers that wove asbestos fibers and the miners that mined the mineral. Factory workers and miners that worked directly with the asbestos would go to their doctors (usually physicians paid by the asbestos company) they would be told they are suffering from emphysema caused by smoking.

The first major victory for people suffering from asbestosis, pleural mesothelioma and abdominal mesothelioma, pulmonary fibrosis came in 1972. In a landmark case the defendant was determined to have knowledge of the harmful effects of asbestos and purposefully withheld pertinent information. A flood of mesothelioma lawyers began filling litigation on behalf of their clients that continues to this day.

While miners, textile workers, and families exposed to asbestos in their homes tragically passed away from a disease they did not understand, the asbestos industry did everything it could to cover up the fact that asbestos was the cause of their tragic and unimaginable suffering. The industry is no longer able to cover up what it has known for years: that asbestos causes terminal cancer. But if current laws important to those seeking a mesothelioma lawsuit settlement or verdict are changed in favor of the asbestos industry, many will be left with no avenue of justice or compensation. The families of mesothelioma victims will suffer while the industry responsible continues on. It is for this reason it is imperative to contact a mesothelioma lawyer today if you think you have a mesothelioma case or lawsuit.