Asbestos Settlement Amounts

Many patients require a large settlement to cover medical costs or travel expenses, as well as other financial losses. A mesothelioma attorney who is skilled can help determine possible compensation amounts for clients.

Although going to court can increase the amount of money mesothelioma patients receive, most cases end in a settlement. These agreements are reached through negotiations with asbestos companies.


Thomas Brown's $300 Million Verdict

Thomas Brown used to work on oil drilling rigs in Mississippi as a "roughneck" which is the term used by locals for those who do tough manual labor. Bridgeport asbestos attorneys was to pour bags of additives into the mud on the oil field to speed up drilling. The bags, which he unknowingly mixed at work included asbestos. He was diagnosed with asbestosis at 48 and needed oxygen 24 hours a day. The jury awarded him $300 million in punitive damages, the largest asbestos verdict awarded to one plaintiff in the history of the world.

Union Carbide Corp. was hit hard by the award, as they manufacture the asbestos-containing product Brown used. Shortly after the award was made, the company asked Circuit Judge Eddie Bowen for a reversal of the decision. They also asked to have him resign from the case, saying that he showed bias and prejudice against them in his rulings, comments in front of the jury, and in his coaching of Brown's attorneys in questioning witnesses.

In the lawsuit, the plaintiff claimed that the defendants knew of the dangers associated with the product, but failed to warn him or other workers. The jury concluded that the defendants were negligent in causing plaintiff's illness. The jury ruled that he could have suffered less severe consequences if he had been provided with warning labels on the tainted mud.

Asbestos lawyers have experience advocating for the rights of their clients in court. They are adept at both the appellate and trial levels, combining judicious advice with aggressive advocacy to accomplish the legal goals of their clients. They have handled cases that are complex across a variety of jurisdictions, and are highly regarded for their achievements.

The Canadian community is still unable to find out the cause of death of their friend. 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 a suicide. The attorney general released 249 pages of documents on the night prior to the town hall and stated that there is no evidence to prove Thomas committed suicide.

Roby Whittington's $250 million Verdict

Asbestos lawyers from Simmons Hanly Conroy, a national mesothelioma lawyer firm, obtained a verdict of $250 million for a former steel mill worker Roby Whittington. This is the largest verdict in Madison County, Illinois and one of the highest mesothelioma verdicts in the country. The mesothelioma attorneys at the firm have handled hundreds of asbestos cases, including a significant part of them involving exposure to industrial chemicals.

The case revolved around Whittington's work at the U.S. Steel Gary Works plant in Indiana. Whittington worked at the plant from 1950 until 1980. In his lawsuit, he claimed that the company failed to warn him about the dangers of working with asbestos.

A jury awarded the former worker in the steel industry with $50 million in compensatory damages and $200 million in punitive damages. He also was awarded a lifetime of medical expenses. The lawyers at Simmons Hanly Conroy were successful in obtaining this huge award due to their experience with 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 effectively to achieve the best results.

In the Whittington asbestos case, asbestos lawyers were allowed to make preemptive challenges against John Crane Inc. when jury selection was being conducted. This allowed them to strike prospective jurors that seemed favorable to the defense. In a mesothelioma case against Daimler-Chrysler in a similar situation, Matushek used the same method to strike prospective jurors that seemed favorable to the defense.

Steel mill workers have a high-risk of developing mesothelioma, or other asbestos-related diseases. This is due to the fact that they are often exposed to toxic asbestos while working on boilers or other machinery. They could be exposed to asbestos while cleaning and repairing machinery.

People who have been diagnosed with mesothelioma should be advised to consult a lawyer right away. The mesothelioma lawyers at Simmons Hanly Conroy have experience bringing corporations to account for exposure to asbestos. They have won multimillion-dollar settlements for asbestos lawsuits against U.S. Steel, Georgia Pacific and companies that didn't produce asbestos but still used it in their factories.

Nancy Lopez's $10 Million Verdict

Nancy Lopez, who died of mesothelioma at the age of 10 she fought a legal battle that took decades to reach its final settlement. Like many other plaintiffs who were diagnosed with asbestosis and other mesothelioma-related illnesses, she fought for compensation from the companies who exposed them to this harmful substance.

In her case, she was awarded $10 million after a jury determined that her mesothelioma was caused by the exposure to asbestos during the Jackson County courthouse renovation project in 1983 and 1984. Her heirs brought suit against the county and US Engineering Company (the firm that did the renovation work in 1983 and 1984) to recover compensation.

The decision also established an important precedent in law. Missouri's Supreme Court decided that workers who breathed in harmful substances and are suffering from a condition such as mesothelioma should be paid for medical expenses. The asbestos fibers that cause these diseases don't break down and can remain in the lungs for a long time before symptoms appear.

The award will not bring Lopez back, but it sends a strong message that the justice system is standing by those who have been affected by asbestosis. The lawsuit also opened the way for others to seek financial compensation from companies responsible for their exposure.

Your attorney will begin gathering information immediately after you have been diagnosed with mesothelioma. This includes your asbestos exposure and the companies that are responsible for. Once your attorney has the evidence they need they can file the claim with the defendants. Both sides can then start exchanging information during the discovery phase and attempt to reach a settlement.

Asbestos Trust Funds

Asbestos trusts are the sole method for asbestos victims to get compensation from companies that misrepresented or concealed asbestos-related diseases such as mesothelioma. In the 1970s asbestos-related lawsuits began flooding the courts. Many of these companies declared bankruptcy and set up trusts to pay the victims. The lawsuits of these companies are often shortened, or even dismissed, to make way for asbestos trust payouts.

The trusts are not managed by a judge nor jury, but rather the bankruptcy trustee. Mesothelioma lawyers will work with trust administrators to make sure that your claim meets the requirements. Documentation of your exposure to asbestos, the validation of your diagnoses and an assessment of the company you worked for as the source of your illness are all part of this process. Your attorney can also help resolve any disagreements with the amount you should receive based on your life circumstances and unique mesothelioma symptoms.

Each asbestos bankruptcy trust has its own guidelines for compensating asbestos victims. They employ a procedure known as a Trust Distribution Procedure (TDP) to determine how much money an individual victim will receive based on the type and severity of their illness. These guidelines typically deal with disease levels, which are utilized to ensure that every victim is treated fairly. The mesothelioma disease level will always be different, but other asbestos-related diseases may have different levels of disease.

Your asbestos lawyers will file a claim on your behalf if you qualify for an expedited review. You should expect to receive a fixed amount according to the criteria of the asbestos bankruptcy trustee for the diagnosis of your illness. The simplified process is beneficial for those with a short time frame to submit a legal claim before the time limit expires.

For those who are not qualified for an expedited review the asbestos bankruptcy trust will conduct an individual review of your case. This may take longer, but the trustees will carefully examine your evidence of exposure to asbestos and your medical history to determine how much you will be awarded based on your medical diagnosis.