14 Common Misconceptions About Asbestos Lawsuit History
Asbestos Lawsuit History
Lawyers like Stanley Levy have helped many asbestos victims. Patients suffering from asbestos-related diseases, such as mesothelioma, can sue companies who mined or manufactured asbestos.
The first asbestos lawsuit was filed by Nellie Kershaw. She suffered health issues while working in an asbestos lawyer fiber plant in England. She died at age 33 of fibrosis in the lung due to asbestos exposure.
The First Cases
Asbestos is a dangerous mineral that has afflicted or killed thousands of people over the course of time. Asbestos claims are filed for a variety reasons, but the majority involve those who have been exposed to asbestos while at work. This includes employees who worked in factories that produced asbestos lawyer-related products, or on the construction sites of buildings that contain asbestos. It could also include people who were exposed to asbestos by using household products, such as talcum powder.
Those who were exposed to asbestos may develop a variety of illnesses like mesothelioma, lung cancer and other respiratory conditions. Many people have received compensation for their injuries even though some of these diseases can be fatal. The majority of countries have laws that require manufacturers of dangerous substances to inform anyone who might be injured.
The first asbestos lawsuit was filed in 1929. It involved a woman named Anna Pirskowski. She was suffering from a variety of symptoms including breathlessness and thickening of the fingertip tissue, known as clubbing. She was awarded a settlement of $75,000 that is believed to be the first class action lawsuit in connection with asbestos.
In the years following there were a lot of asbestos lawsuits were filed. Asbestos litigation became a large area of law, and many lawyers started to specialize in asbestos litigation. They only took on cases that were very serious. Kazan Law was one firm that focused on this in the latter part of the 80s.
Other lawsuits were won by individuals who had been diagnosed with other asbestos-related diseases like asbestosis or plaques in the pleural cavity. This is due to the fact that the disease that caused these was very similar to mesothelioma, making it more straightforward for lawyers to prove. These allegations led to the public disclosure of secret documents that showed how asbestos manufacturers tried to conceal their risks. In 1989 the Asbestos Ban & Phase Out Rule was issued.
The Second Cases
As the number of people suffering from asbestos-related diseases increased, victims and their families began bringing lawsuits against companies that mined, made or sold asbestos-containing products. Additionally, mesothelioma patients made claims against companies that designed and built the buildings they worked in, such as power plants, shipyards, factories and refineries. The link between mesothelioma and asbestos exposure is very strong.
In the early 1980s, legal litigation over asbestos lawsuits grew more intense and the courts began to rule on various aspects of the litigation process. A federal court, for example, ruled that only those suffering from malignant asbestos-related diseases like mesothelioma or lung cancer could take on asbestos manufacturers. products. This ruling, dubbed Borel v. Fibreboard Paper Products Corp. is a major setback to defendants in asbestos litigation.
Around the same time, Nellie Kershaw, a factory worker from Rochdale, England, filed what is thought to be the first well-known legal claim against asbestos companies. Kershaw was diagnosed with lung problems due to her frequent contact with asbestos fibers, attempted to get the company she worked for to pay for her medical treatments. However, the company refused. Kershaw passed away at the age of 33 from lung fibrosis.
The second round of asbestos lawsuits focused on those who were exposed to various types of asbestos-containing building products such as fireproofing sprays, and drywall products. Asbestos lawyers also successfully brought cases against companies that made the equipment that utilized asbestos-containing materials, such as pumps and boilers.
During this time, many documents that implicated asbestos companies were discovered. These documents proved their involvement in fraud and conspiracies. These included the personal records of Johns-Manville president Sumner Simpson, as well as correspondence from the general counsel of another asbestos manufacturer, Raybestos Manhattan. These documents revealed a conspiracy between these two companies to hide asbestos' dangers and to thwart efforts to warn the public.
In the early and mid-1980s When these and other forms corporate fraud and conspiracy were uncovered In the early to mid-1980s, a wave of class actions settlement was initiated, as well as other attempts made to reduce asbestos liability by asbestos companies. These attempts were met with fierce resistance from plaintiffs' attorneys and their clients, as well as the general public at large.
The Third Cases
In the 1970s, asbestos-related companies could no longer hide the deadly effects of asbestos-related diseases like mesothelioma from people. This was due in large part to the fact that major national publications began to pay attention to the link between mesothelioma, asbestos, and other respiratory illnesses, as opposed to small industry medical journals and newsletters. Once the connection between asbestos and serious diseases was established, patients began filing lawsuits against asbestos manufacturers.
One of the primary push factors that led to an increase in asbestos lawsuits in the 1970s was a ruling by the courts which allowed plaintiffs to apply the legal concept of strict liability. Plaintiffs in asbestos cases would need to prove that asbestos producers were negligent in exposing them. However, in the 1973 case of Borel v. Fibreboard, a judge declared that asbestos producers were liable for any injuries they caused in the event that the company knew their product was hazardous and did not warn its employees or the general public about the dangers.
Following this ruling, many asbestos manufacturers filed for bankruptcy, a procedure that allows a business to be reorganized in bankruptcy court, put funds aside in trusts to cover asbestos claims, and then continue to operate. Johns-Manville is a notable case, since it was the subject of numerous lawsuits filed by former workers who suffered from asbestosis, lung cancer, and mesothelioma. Kazan Law set several cases against the manufacturer and was able to get punitive damage verdicts against the company.
Since then, asbestos litigation has continued to grow due to the growing number of people suffering from asbestos-related diseases. Asbestos cases are often complex due to the ailments they cause can take years to manifest and are not always immediately obvious to those diagnosed.
Some victims have also had to wait years for settlements from insurance companies, even after their employers were found responsible. The US Supreme Court has addressed several cases in which asbestos companies attempted to limit their liability by offering settlements in class action. The court has also addressed the question of whether individual defendants could be held accountable for injuries resulting from asbestos.
The Fourth Case
Asbestos is a highly hazardous mineral that has sickened or killed hundreds of thousands of people over the decades. Asbestos was also extensively used by companies who were aware of its dangers yet continued to employ it.
As the legal system handles asbestos lawsuits, new developments are taking place all the time. One of the most significant legal developments is the ruling Lubbe v Cape Plc. This set the precedent for victims to sue multinational corporations in their home countries to recover compensation.
Most of the time, these cases involve exposure to asbestos in the second degree. Workers who handle asbestos at work may transfer it to their families or spouses. The family members suffer from mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases.
This kind of case is the basis of many lawsuits filed by relatives of victims today. Asbestos attorneys can help families bring a claim against the companies that caused the asbestos-related injuries suffered by their loved ones.
The emergence of class-action lawsuits is a major change in asbestos litigation. These asbestos lawsuits provide victims the chance to seek justice with the help of an attorney well-versed in the legal issues that these cases raise.
While many asbestos attorneys have pushed for this kind of litigation, there are certain people who do not support it. In fact there have been a number of attempts to pass legislation that would limit the use of asbestos-related class actions.
The latest major development in asbestos litigation is the filing of a lawsuit by Massachusetts residents against 4 companies over their handling of asbestos removal and disposal. The lawsuit alleged that the companies violated the law of the state by not properly disposing of asbestos and failing to safeguard residents from the harmful dust.
Asbestos litigation is a long-standing issue that is likely to continue for a number of decades to come. The asbestos industry has attempted to shield itself from responsibility by bringing up technical legal arguments and attempting to pass legislative remedies that would prevent the victims from seeking justice. But, it appears that many victims and their attorneys are determined to see justice served.