Mesothelioma and other asbestos related diseases, were abundant in work places all over the country for more than 50 years. Eventually, companies figured out that not only was the asbestos dangerous, but that they themselves could be held liable in the event that one of their employees contract asbestos lung mesothelioma or something similar in the workplace. Once a company figures out that it could lose money, then things start to change.
However, for people who were chronically exposed to the asbestos for extended periods of months, had no chance in the long run, the disease may not show itself for 30 years, but it does eventually and it is an absolute family devastator when it does. If you or a loved one is suing a company for Mesothelioma Settlement compensation, then you should know some basic facts about asbestos and mesothelioma before diving in head first:
- Asbestos is not a new phenomenon, it has been around since the 1930's
- Most mesothelioma settlement settle out of court, however some don't and you must be prepared to go through a trial or else you are wasting your time.
- Suing anybody for anything takes time, patience is key here, show a sign of urgency and you are inviting them to take advantage of you.
- The average time period from exposure to asbestos and onset of first symptoms is roughly thirty years, or even more.
- There are multiple types of mesothelioma and asbestosis, make sure that you have an accurate diagnosis before seeking a lawyer, get a second opinion to be sure.
- It should cost you nothing out of pocket to file a mesothelioma lawsuit, most if not all of the MST lawyer pool will wokr on a pro bono basis, where they only get a share of the winnings, if they win. If not, then you owe them nothing. Not a bad deal.
- On average each plaintiff sues 20 defendants, so as many as 1 million claims have been filed.
- Most plaintiffs held several jobs and were exposed to multiple sources of asbestos, so causation is difficult to establish.
- Many plaintiffs have no disability from asbestos exposure, but they sue because of statutes of limitations and fear that the money will run out.
- Costs to date are $54 billion. Five corporations have paid out >= $1 billion each.Many asbestos bankruptcies: my list has 28 since Jan. 2000 and 76 in total.
- Claims increased rapidly in the 1990’s, even though most of the major producers were bankrupt.
- The eventual cost of asbestos claims is estimated to be $200- 275 billion – higher than Superfund!
- 600,000 people have filed asbestos claims and 6,000 separate defendants have been sued.
