Asbestos Settlement Amounts
Many patients require an extensive settlement amount to pay for medical expenses, travel costs and other financial losses. A skilled mesothelioma attorney can help determine possible compensation for a client.
While going to court may increase the payouts for mesothelioma the majority of cases settle with an agreement. These agreements are reached through discussions with asbestos companies.
Thomas Brown's $300 million Verdict
Thomas Brown worked on oil drilling rigs as a "roughneck" in Mississippi, a term used by locals to describe workers who work hard and manual. His task was to pour bags of additives in mud on the oil field to speed the drilling process. Those bags, which he had no idea mixed at work contained asbestos. He was diagnosed with asbestosis at the age of 48 and required oxygen throughout the day. The jury awarded him $300 million in punitive damages. This was the biggest asbestos verdict for a single plaintiff in history.
The verdict was a blow to Union Carbide Corp., which manufactures the asbestos-containing product that Brown used. Shortly after the award was handed out the company requested Circuit Judge Eddie Bowen for a reversal of the verdict. They also requested to have him resign from the case, claiming he was biased and prejudiced against them in his decisions, remarks before the jury, and in his coaching of Brown's attorneys in questioning witnesses.
In the lawsuit, the plaintiff claimed that defendants were aware of dangers of the product, but did not warn him or any other workers. The jury concluded that the defendants were negligent in causing the plaintiff's illness. The jury ruled that he could have suffered less severe consequences if he had been given warning labels on the contaminated dirt.
Asbestos lawyers have experience arguing for the rights of their clients in court. They are proficient at both the appellate and trial levels, combining intelligent counsel with a ferocious advocacy to achieve their clients goals in law. They have handled complex cases in many jurisdictions and are highly respected for their success.
The Canadian community is unable to find any clear answers as to 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 of documents on the night before the town hall, stating that there is no evidence that proves Thomas killed himself.
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 won a $250-million verdict for Roby Whittington who was a former steel mill worker. This is the biggest mesothelioma-related case verdict in Madison County, Illinois. The mesothelioma lawyers at the firm have handled a variety of asbestos cases, including a significant part of them involving exposure to industrial chemicals.
The case centered on Whittington's employment at the U.S. Steel Gary Works plant in Indiana. He worked at the plant from 1950 to 1980. In his lawsuit, he claimed the company failed to warn him of the dangers of working in a place that was contaminated by asbestos.
A jury awarded the retired worker in the steel industry $50 million in compensatory damage and $200 million in punitive damages. The retired steel worker also received lifetime medical expenses. This huge verdict was secured in part by the lawyers at Simmons Hanly Conroy because they have experience with large mesothelioma cases. Lawyers like Randall Bono, Perry Browder and others are able to spend hours constructing an asbestos cases for 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 juror selection was taking place. This allowed them to strike potential jurors who appeared favorable to the defense. In a similar case Matushek was able to employ the same strategy against a co-defendant, Daimler-Chrysler in a mesothelioma suit against the car manufacturer.
Steel mill workers are at a high-risk of developing mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases. They are exposed to asbestos when working on boilers and machinery. They could be exposed to asbestos while cleaning or fixing machinery.
Anyone diagnosed with mesothelioma is encouraged to consult a knowledgeable lawyer as soon as possible. The mesothelioma attorneys at Simmons Hanly Conroy are experienced in holding corporations accountable for asbestos exposure. They have won multimillion dollar verdicts for asbestos lawsuits against U.S. Steel, Georgia Pacific and other companies that didn't manufacture asbestos but still used it in their factories.
Nancy Lopez's $10 million Verdict
Nancy Lopez, who died of mesothelioma in 2010, fought a legal battle that lasted for decades before reaching its final resolution. Like many other plaintiffs who were diagnosed with mesothelioma, asbestosis and other diseases, she fought for compensation from the companies that exposed them to this deadly material.
In her case the jury awarded her $10 million, after concluding that mesothelioma caused by her exposure to asbestos while working on the Jackson County Courthouse renovation project between 1983 and 1984. Her heirs sought compensation from the county as well as US Engineering Company, the company that carried out the work on the renovation at the time.
The verdict also set an important precedent for law. Missouri's Supreme Court ruled that workers who have breathed in toxic substances and are now suffering mesothelioma-related illnesses should be compensated for medical expenses they've suffered. The asbestos fibers responsible for these illnesses don't break down and can remain in the lungs long before symptoms begin to manifest.
The award will not bring Lopez back but it sends an unambiguous message that the justice system is standing by those who have been affected by asbestosis. The lawsuit also opened the door for others to pursue financial compensation from the companies that were responsible for their exposure.
If you've been diagnosed mesothelioma, your attorney will immediately begin to collect details about your exposure to asbestos as well as the companies responsible. Once your attorney has the evidence they need they can file the claim with the defendants. Then, both sides can begin to exchange information throughout the discovery process and work toward the settlement.
Asbestos Trust Funds
Trusts for asbestos are the only way for asbestos victims to receive compensation from companies who misrepresented or hid asbestos-related ailments like mesothelioma. After asbestos-related lawsuits flooded the courts in the 1970s, a lot of these companies declared bankruptcy and set up trusts to pay those who were owed. Legal actions against these companies are usually reduced or dismissed in favor of a payout from an asbestos trust.
The trusts are administered by the bankruptcy trustee not a jury or judge. Mesothelioma attorneys will work with the trust administrators to ensure that your claim meets all requirements. This includes evidence of exposure, confirmation of your diagnosis and a determination that your illness was a result of the business which you worked for. Abilene asbestos lawsuits can also help in settling any disputes about the amount of compensation you should be entitled to depending on your particular life circumstances and mesothelioma-related signs.
Each asbestos bankruptcy trust has its own guidelines for remuneration of asbestos victims. They use a process known as a Trust Distribution Procedure (TDP) to determine how much money the victim will be awarded based on the type and severity of their illness. These guidelines usually involve disease levels, which are used to ensure that every victim receives fair treatment. Mesothelioma is always identified as a separate disease level, however other asbestos-related diseases may have different levels of disease.
If you qualify for an expedited review, your asbestos lawyer will file your claim with the asbestos trusts on your behalf. You can expect to receive an amount that is fixed based on the criteria of the asbestos bankruptcy trustee for the diagnosis of your illness. This streamlined process is helpful for those who have a limited time to file their legal claim before the statute expires.
The asbestos bankruptcy trust will examine your case in a separate manner in the event that you are not eligible for the speedy review. This can take longer but the trustees will carefully review your evidence of exposure to asbestos and your medical background to determine the amount you should receive based on the diagnosis you have received.