Mesothelioma
Asbestos Lawsuit
Recent
Mesothelioma and Asbestos News
- July
6, 2003, "FAIR Act would protect asbestos companies"
BREAKING
NEWS!!
- July
3, 2003, "Virginia pushing for FAIR Act"
BREAKING NEWS!!
- July
2, 2003, "USG continues to suffer from asbestos-mesothelioma
lawsuits" BREAKING
NEWS!!
- July
2, 2003, "Asbestos exposure lawsuits among top issues
for Texas lawmakers" BREAKING
NEWS!!
- June
30, 2003, "Asbestos victims continue to be victimized"
- June
27, 2003, "Senate agreeing to asbestos trust increase"
- June
10, 2003, "Queen’s medical expert dies"
- June
8, 2003, "Controversial asbestos screening"
- October
1, 2001, “Federal-Mogul Corporation Files Voluntary
Chapter 11 and Administration Petitions to Resolve Asbestos
Claims”
- June
26, 2001, “USG Files For Bankruptcy”
- April
2, 2001, “W.R. Grace & Co. Files Voluntary Chapter
11 Petition to Resolve Asbestos Claims”
- March
3, 2001, “Asbestos victim awarded landmark compensation”
- March
13, 2000, Feature Article: “Libby’s Dark Secret”
July
6, 2003, "FAIR Act would protect asbestos companies"
Approximately 300,000 workers have died because of asbestos
exposure, and it is predicted that just as many will die
in the next 30-40 years. For decades, millions of workers
were exposed to asbestos, inhaling the deadly fibers every
day at work. Some companies even knew the dangers of asbestos
fibers since 1929-1930, but failed to do anything about
it.
The
FAIR Act was introduced by Senator Orrin Hatch on May 22,
2003, and has the possibility of being passed by the end
of 2003. Many people are concerned with the lack of compensation
that some mesothelioma patients, as well as other asbestos
related illnesses might recover if the FAIR Act is passed.
It could take years to recover any money from mesothelioma
lawsuits, however by the time mesothelioma is diagnosed
patients have less than 18 months to live.
The
FAIR Act would mean that all pending asbestos cases would
be halted with all appeals tossed out with jury verdicts
being overturned. The payments will be substantially smaller
than previous asbestos lawsuits have paid out, without considering
if the deceased has dependents left behind or their age
at the time of death.
One
of the largest critics of the FAIR Act is Senator Patty
Murray who believes, “If Congress is going to prevent
any future lawsuits, then Congress must try to prevent any
more asbestos casualties, by banning the use of asbestos.
Why on earth does our government allow thousands of tons
of asbestos to continue to be put into consumer products
every year? Why does our government still allow asbestos
products to be imported? If we are going to limit the rights
of asbestos victims we have an obligation to prevent future
victims, by banning asbestos (Sunday Gazette, 7/6/03).”
Contact us to confer with a mesothelioma
lawyer.
July
3, 2003, "Virginia pushing for FAIR Act"
BREAKING
NEWS!!
The FAIR Act stands for Fairness in Asbestos Injury Resolution
Act, which a Senate committee is expected to come to a conclusive
consideration decision for in July 2003. Under the Act,
the current system regarding asbestos exposure victims will
be replaced by a trust fund to have quicker and more efficient
asbestos victim benefits. The current system allows so much
time to lapse that a high number of asbestos victims will
never see their compensation because many will die beforehand.
In the event that asbestos compensation is received, the
money for the damages is not adequate for the suffering
experienced.
Contact us to confer with an
asbestos- mesothelioma lawyer.
July
2, 2003, "USG continues to suffer from asbestos-mesothelioma
lawsuits" BREAKING
NEWS!!
The Senate proposal regarding asbestos litigation is looking
to bring the 20 years of asbestos litigation under better
control. With the current situation, asbestos victims are
not receiving fair compensation for his/her suffering, and
many asbestos victims have died from deadly asbestos related
illnesses, like mesothelioma before recovering damages.
USG is one company in particular that has been named in
asbestos and mesothelioma liability suits.
The
company manufactured joint treatment compound in the 1960s
and early 1970s that contained asbestos. According to USG
more than 300,000 asbestos claims were tried or settled
in the last 25 years and $20 billion has been paid out to
asbestos claimants. A deadly, carcinogenic substance, asbestos
is linked to mesothelioma, asbestosis, as well as many other
effects.
Contact us to confer with an
asbestos- mesothelioma lawyer.
July
2, 2003, "Asbestos exposure lawsuits among top issues
for Texas lawmakers" BREAKING
NEWS!!
Of the 28 issues that Texas lawmakers have made a priority
for changes in environmental law and restrictions was asbestos
exposure lawsuits. Governor Rick Perry was responsible for
the asbestos exposure lawsuits being a subject addressed.
Senator Eddie Lucio and Perry are on opposite sides of the
asbestos exposure lawsuit fight.
Lucio
did not vote to allow the asbestos bill to be considered,
which requires a two-thirds vote to be considered in the
Senate. The asbestos bill will allow people that have developed
mesothelioma because of asbestos exposure to have their
mesothelioma lawsuits be put on the fast track in court.
Asbestos lawsuits have been controversial and asbestos victim
supporters have been upset with the amount of time it take
many people to ever recover the damages.
Some
victims will never receive compensation because mesothelioma
will end up taking their lives beforehand. Many asbestos
exposed victims have been suffering mesothelioma and other
deadly conditions for decades and should be able to receive
payment immediately for the pain and suffering according
to the asbestos bill supporters. Contact
us to confer with an asbestos- mesothelioma lawyer.
June
30, 2003, "Asbestos victims continue to be victimized"
Thousands of South African people that have fallen terminally
ill to asbestos exposure conditions endured a four-year
asbestos lawsuit and was promised multi millions of dollars
but was just informed they will receive less than half of
the amount promised. The company failed to honor the December
21, 2001 asbestos settlement involving 7,500 asbestos claimants.
The entire asbestos- mesothelioma lawsuits took so long
to finalize that 10% of the claimants have already died,
approximately 776 people. In addition to mesothelioma, asbestos
exposure caused asbestosis as well as other serious illnesses.
Contact us to confer with an asbestos- mesothelioma lawyer.
June
27, 2003, "Senate agreeing to asbestos trust increase"
The Senate panel has agreed to increase the size of the
asbestos trust to an amount as high as $153 billion to end
all asbestos lawsuits. The main disagreement regarding the
asbestos fund would be what types of payments will be made
to asbestos exposed people that are now suffering deadly
diseases as a result. If the trust passes, the asbestos
settlement will be the second largest of all time following
the tobacco settlement in 1998.
By
increasing the amount of the asbestos trust, many people
in supports of it passing are hoping it will allow the trust
to have adequate funds for all the people suffering asbestos
related diseases to recover money, including mesothelioma
and asbestosis. The fund proposes that up to $750,000 will
be paid to asbestos victims, with the largest sums of compensation
going to mesothelioma sufferers. Individual mesothelioma
lawsuits have awarded asbestos exposed victims up to $250
million. Mesothelioma is a fatal cancer linked only to asbestos
exposure.
Contact us to confer with an
asbestos- mesothelioma lawyer.
June
10, 2003, "Queen’s medical expert dies"
The Queen’s medical expert in Canada has died after
making significant contributions to linking asbestos exposure
to mesothelioma. After working in South Africa in 1960,
he suggested a connection between asbestos exposure and
mesothelioma. Extensive work was performed with asbestos
fiber counts compared to the normal population versus shipyard
workers.
Contact us to confer with an
asbestos- mesothelioma lawyer.
June
8, 2003, "Controversial asbestos screening"
There were hundreds of examiners in Oregon, Washington,
Montana, and other states to screen hundreds of veteran
aluminum workers. What the examiners found was that 30-40%
of the tested workers showed signs of asbestos related diseases,
including mesothelioma. Since some people have not yet experienced
symptoms, individuals worry that one day they will suffer
the serious and deadly diseases associated to asbestos exposure
but do not know when it will strike.
Public
health reports from 1920s to 1960s had a high number of
incidents of workers that were injured and killed because
of asbestos exposure. Doctors had learned from the many
asbestos patients that the asbestos fibers could scar lungs
and membranes if inhaled to result in deadly cancer such
as mesothelioma.
For
years, workers continued to suffer asbestos related illnesses
and many workers never talked about it because of the economy
and some people just did not realize the risks they were
enduring. In addition, due to the latency period of disease
symptoms onset, many asbestos exposed workers are now just
getting diagnosed with illnesses. As more information was
learned, a higher number of asbestos- mesothelioma lawsuits
were filed over the years. Now, some people are hoping asbestos
screening will better identify mesothelioma sufferers, as
well as other illnesses, in order to combat the problems
of asbestos-exposed workers.
Contact us to confer with an
asbestos mesothelioma lawyer.
October
1, 2001, “Federal-Mogul Corporation Files Voluntary
Chapter 11 and Administration Petitions to Resolve Asbestos
Claims”
Federal-Mogul Corporation today announced that to separate
its asbestosliabilities from its true operating potential,
the company and its United States subsidiaries have voluntarily
filed for financial restructuring under Chapter 11 of the
U.S Bankruptcy Code. In addition, Federal-Mogul subsidiaries
in the United Kingdom have filed jointly for Chapter 11
and Administration under the U.K. Insolvency Act of 1986.
No company subsidiaries outside of the United States and
the United Kingdom are included in these filings.
The
filings, made today in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Wilmington,
Delaware, and the High Court of Justice, Chancery Division,
London, England, enable Federal-Mogul to develop a plan
to resolve its asbestos liabilities. During these restructuring
proceedings, Federal-Mogul will continue business operations
without interruption, and with the full support of its major
customers and suppliers. Read
More…
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June
26, 2001, “USG Files For Bankruptcy”
Since 1994, U.S. Gypsum has been named in more than 250,000
asbestos-related personal injury claims, and has paid more
than $450 million for litigation before insurance recoveries.
The subsidiary's personal injury costs have increased from
$30 million in 1997 to more than $160 million last year,
and were expected to exceed $275 million this fiscal year.
USG
filed for bankruptcy protection in U.S. District Court in
Wilmington, Del., the state where USG is incorporated. ''Rather
than dealing with these lawsuits in state civil courts,
we needed to get them all in one court and before one judge
and have a fair hearing,'' Foote said. ''There are true
victims of asbestos-related diseases. Moneys need to flow
to them. We will recognize and honor those claims.'' Read
More…
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April
2, 2001, “W.R. Grace & Co. Files Voluntary Chapter
11 Petition to Resolve Asbestos Claims”
W. R. Grace & Co. today announced that the Company
has voluntarily filed for reorganization under Chapter 11
of the United States Bankruptcy Code in response to a sharply
increasing number of asbestos claims. This Chapter 11 filing
includes 60 of Grace's domestic entities. None of the Company's
foreign subsidiaries are included in this filing.
The
filing, made today in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Wilmington,
Delaware, will enable the Company to continue to operate
its businesses in the usual manner under court protection
from its creditors and claimants, while using the Chapter
11 process to develop and implement a plan for addressing
the asbestos-related claims against it. The Company intends
to work closely with asbestos claimants and other creditors
to develop a plan of reorganization that will both address
valid asbestos claims in a fair and consistent manner and
establish a sound capital structure for long-term growth
and profitability. Read
More…
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March
3, 2001, “Asbestos victim awarded landmark compensation”
A woman who contracted mesothelioma by washing her husband's
work clothes has been ordered to receive more than $370,000
in compensation by the Dust Diseases Tribunal in New South
Wales. Winnifred Brennan, 62, from Adelaide, was diagnosed
with mesothelioma in July 1999.
Mrs.
Brennan is expected to live only another 14 months and her
payout is one of the first made for a non-occupational asbestos
case. Judge James Curtis found in the Dust Diseases Tribunal
that Mrs. Brennan had engaged in a lifetime of service to
her late husband, a builder, and their family of nine children.
Part of that service involved washing her husband's work
clothes and visiting his building sites where he worked
with asbestos. She was diagnosed with mesothelioma while
she cared for her husband who was dying from terminal bone
cancer. Read
More…
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March
13, 2000, Feature Article: “Libby’s Dark Secret”
For years, this mountain town in northwest Montana held
a dark secret close to its breast. Tucked away near the
Idaho border, 70 miles from the Canadian line, Libby is
a utilitarian town. People here are hardworking, dedicated
to their families and independent. Because logging is way
down and local mines have closed, residents have scrambled
to find new ways of making a living. But like people in
many small Western towns, they keep to themselves.
So
perhaps it's not surprising that, until recently, few people
outside Libby knew that a startling number of the town's
residents have died of lung diseases, or that today, many
suffer from lung cancer. For at least two decades, it has
been common knowledge among locals that their sickness is
caused by asbestos-laced dust produced by a vermiculite
mine just outside town.
If
it were only the miners and truck drivers who contracted
the diseases, the news would not be so shocking. But the
men brought the fine particles of asbestos home in their
work clothes. When their wives shook out their clothing,
the particles filled their homes. Some men brought home
truckloads of asbestos to mix with garden soil for better
drainage. Others insulated their homes with it. Wives and
grown children followed the journey to the graveyard, a
half step behind the workers.
"This
isn't just the working men and their wives who are dying,"
says Gayla Benefield, whose parents, Perley and Margaret
Vatland, both died of asbestos-related diseases. "This
could go on to the fourth generation within families. My
grandchildren watched my mother die and they were terrified.
They asked me if they would die of that, too."
The
tragedy in Libby, like the diseases that follow asbestos
poisoning, developed slowly - imperceptibly to most Montanans.
Individuals doggedly fought their own private legal battles
with the mine's owner, corporate giant W.R. Grace &
Co. - a company at the center of the 1996 book, A Civil
Action, and the movie based on it.
Then
last November, just as Grace was about to quietly leave
Libby in its dust, news of the asbestos poisoning hit the
national press. Within weeks, federal hazardous-waste teams
were sweeping the town, and the state's political leaders
were scrambling to explain why they hadn't acted sooner.
Two law firms were filing class-action lawsuits against
W.R. Grace, and the company was backpedaling, promising
to cover asbestos-related health costs. Read
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