Mesothelioma (Asbestos Exposure) Class Action Settlement
Asbestos is a mineral that was widely used in a variety of construction and insulation products for more than 40 years between the 1930s and 1970s. It was found to cause significant lung damage and lead directly to certain types of cancers (like mesothelioma*) - as a result, millions of people have filed suits through the years aimed at employers, asbestos manufacturers, municipalities and other defendants. The courts have established settlements that have limited liability, plus funds that care for the victims of asbestos-related disease.
Class action lawsuits surrounding the use of asbestos have not be limited to any particular category. For decades asbestos was unknowingly carried home on the clothes of workers, leading to disease not only for the worker, but for his wife who cleaned his clothes, and his children who were exposed through particles left floating in the home. Litigation through the years has been particularly damaging to manufacturers who have been found to have known about the dangers of asbestos and its use, but that did not protect workers or cease use of the material.
There have been a number of class actions filed against asbestos companies, both as litigation classes and as "settlement class actions". Class action cases related to asbestos have not been widely settled in federal courts, leaving individuals to file their own lawsuits and attack their personal issue alone.
Class action cases filed against asbestos manufacturers have caused manufacturers to establish funds â some in the hundreds of millions of dollars range â to compensate the victim’s of asbestos related disease. It has caused many others to declare bankruptcy. Naturally, since asbestos exposure/mesothelioma cases offer high dollar awards, there are entire law firms that exist solely to pursue asbestos lawsuits on behalf of their clients. Let's hope you and your family don't have to take advantage of these settlement pools.
Additional Resources
- Asbestosis on Google health
- Mesothelioma trust fund info on Asbestos.com
- National Cancer Institute page on mesothelioma
- Lawyers.com Mesothelioma Laywers
Mesothelioma is a cancer that occurs in both the lung and below the lung. The disease typically spreads on the outside of the lung, compressing it and eventually limiting its function. Asbestos also can cause lung cancer in non smokers and increase the rate of lung cancer in smokers. Asbestosis is a scarring of the lung caused by the inhalation of asbestos fumes.
Copyright © 2011 LexisNexis. All rights reserved.