Asbestos Settlement Amounts
Many victims require a large settlement to cover medical expenses or travel expenses, as well as other financial losses. A mesothelioma lawyer will help determine the possible compensation awards which a patient might be eligible for.
While going to court may increase the amount of money mesothelioma patients receive, most cases end in the settlement. These agreements are reached through bargaining with asbestos companies.
Thomas Brown's $300 Million Verdict
Thomas Brown worked on oil drilling drills as a "roughneck" in Mississippi, a term used by locals to refer to workers who perform hard manual labor. His job involved pouring bags of additives into mud on the oil field to accelerate drilling. The bags, which he had no idea mixed at work included asbestos. He was diagnosed with asbestosis at 48 and required oxygen 24 hours a day. The jury awarded him $300 million in punitive damages, the largest asbestos verdict to a single plaintiff in history.
The verdict was an affront to Union Carbide Corp., which makes the asbestos-containing product, which Brown used. Not long after the award was made, the company asked Circuit Judge Eddie Bowen for a reversal of the verdict. They also requested that he quit, claiming he was biased and prejudiced against them, as evidenced by his rulings, remarks made in front of the jurors, as well as coaching Brown's lawyers when questioning witnesses.
In the lawsuit, plaintiff claimed that defendants were aware of dangers of the product, but did not warn him or other workers. The jury found that defendants were negligent in causing plaintiff's illness. The jury found that he would have suffered less severe consequences had he been given warning labels on the contaminated dirt.
Asbestos lawyers are adept at arguing for the rights of their clients in court. They are adept both at the trial and appellate levels by combining a well-thought-out counsel with powerful advocacy to help their clients achieve their legal goals. They have handled complicated cases across a variety of jurisdictions, and are highly regarded for their success.
The Canadian community has not been able to obtain any definitive answers on how their friend died. KENS 5 previously reported that the district attorney's office hadn't presented the case to a grand jury due to the fact that it was suicide. The attorney general released 249 pages on the night prior to the town hall, saying that no evidence exists to prove Thomas committed suicide.
Roby Whittington's $250 million Verdict
Simmons Hanly Conroy is a national firm that is a specialist in asbestos and mesothelioma law. Asbestos attorneys from the firm secured the verdict of $250 million for Roby Whittington who was former steel mill worker. This is the largest mesothelioma verdict in Madison County, Illinois. The mesothelioma lawyers at the firm have handled a variety of asbestos cases, including a significant portion of them involving exposure from industrial sources.
The case was centered around Whittington's work at the U.S. Steel Gary Works plant in Indiana. He was employed there from 1950 until 1981. In his lawsuit, he claimed that the company failed to warn him of the dangers of working in a workplace which was highly contaminated with asbestos.
A jury awarded the former worker in the steel industry with $50 million in compensatory damages, and $200 million in punitive damages. The retired steel worker also received a lifetime of medical expenses. Simmons lawyers Hanly Conroy were successful in winning this massive award due to their experience in handling large mesothelioma cases. Lawyers like Randall Bono, Perry Browder and others spend hours building asbestos cases for their clients to ensure that the firm's resources are utilized efficiently to get maximum results.
In the Whittington asbestos case, the asbestos attorneys were allowed to make preemptive challenges against John Crane Inc. when jury selection was taking place. This allowed them strike potential jurors that appeared favorable to the defense. In a similar case, Matushek was able to apply the same tactic against a co-defendant, Daimler-Chrysler, in a mesothelioma lawsuit filed against the auto manufacturer.
Steel mill workers have the highest risk of developing mesothelioma or other asbestos-related diseases. They are exposed to asbestos attorney while working on boilers and machinery. They could be exposed asbestos while cleaning and repairing machinery.
Anyone diagnosed with mesothelioma is encouraged to speak with a seasoned lawyer immediately. The mesothelioma lawyers at Simmons Hanly Conroy have experience holding corporations accountable for exposure to asbestos. They have won multimillion dollar verdicts for asbestos lawsuits against U.S. Steel, Georgia Pacific and other companies that did not manufacture asbestos, but employed asbestos in their manufacturing facilities.
Nancy Lopez's $10 million Verdict
Nancy Lopez, a mesothelioma victim who passed away in 2010 she fought for years to settle her legal dispute. She fought, as many other plaintiffs with asbestosis or other mesothelioma related illnesses, for compensation from the companies that exposed her to this dangerous material.
In her case, a jury awarded her $10 million, after concluding that her mesothelioma was caused by her exposure to asbestos while working on the Jackson County Courthouse renovation project between 1983 between 1983 and 1984. Her relatives requested compensation from the county as well as US Engineering Company, the company that was responsible for the renovations at the time.
The verdict also established an important precedent for law. Missouri's Supreme Court decided that workers who inhaled harmful substances and are suffering from a disease such as mesothelioma should be paid for their medical expenses. This is because the asbestos fibers that cause the disease do not break down, and they can hang in the lungs for decades before symptoms begin to manifest.
While the award won't bring Lopez back, it is an affirmation that the courts are on the side of those suffering from asbestosis. The case opened the door to other victims seeking financial compensation from the companies who were responsible for their asbestos exposure.
If you're diagnosed mesothelioma, your attorney will immediately begin to collect details about your exposure to asbestos lawsuits as well as the companies at fault. When your lawyer has all the evidence needed and information, they can make a claim against the defendants. Then, both sides can begin to exchange information during the discovery process and work toward a settlement.
Asbestos Trust Funds
Asbestos trusts are the sole way for asbestos victims to receive compensation from companies that deceived or concealed the dangers of asbestos-related illnesses like mesothelioma. In the 1970s asbestos-related lawsuits were flooding the courts. Many of these companies filed bankruptcy and set up trusts to pay the victims. These companies' lawsuits are often reduced or even dismissed to make way for asbestos trust payouts.
The trusts are administered by bankruptcy trustees and not a judge or jury. Mesothelioma attorneys will work with trust administrators to make sure that your claim meets all of the requirements. This includes the documentation of your exposure, confirmation of your diagnosis and a determination that your condition was the result of the company which you worked for. Your attorney will also help resolve any disagreements with the amount you should receive in light of your personal circumstances and unique mesothelioma symptoms.
Each asbestos bankruptcy trust has its own guidelines for remuneration of asbestos attorneys victims. They employ a procedure known as a Trust Distribution Procedure (TDP) to determine how much money the victim will receive based on the type and severity of their illness. These guidelines are based on the severity of disease and are used to ensure that each victim is treated fairly. Mesothelioma is usually classified as a distinct disease level, but other asbestos-related diseases may have different levels of disease.
If you are eligible for an expedited review, your asbestos lawyer will file your claim with the asbestos trusts on behalf of you. This process can be completed in about 90 days, and you will receive a set amount according to the asbestos bankruptcy trust's established guidelines for your diagnosis. The simplified process can be beneficial for those with a short time frame to make a claim in court before the time limit expires.
The asbestos bankruptcy trust will review your case in a separate manner in the event that you are not eligible for the expedited review. This may take longer but the trustees will scrutinize the evidence of asbestos exposure and your medical history to determine how much you are entitled to according to your medical diagnosis.