Mesothelioma Blog
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Mesothelioma Victim Denied Justice Provides Cautionary Tale
Jody Ratcliff was diagnosed with malignant peritoneal mesothelioma in 2005, but at that time she focused on her medical needs rather than taking legal action. Her physicians were able to treat her and provided her with several years of remission. When her disease returned, she filed personal injury claims against the asbestos companies she blamed …Read More
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West Virginia Mesothelioma Victims Reach Rapid Settlement Agreement in Face of COVID-19
COVID-19 is impacting mesothelioma victims in countless ways, and one of the most surprising happened last week in a 4,000-square-foot events venue in Wheeling, West Virginia, the Highlands Event Center. The location hosted attorneys representing hundreds of asbestos plaintiffs, attorneys for asbestos companies, and a West Virginia Supreme Court judge. Working together, the group successfully …Read More
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Where Safety Gloves Were Purchased Integral to Where Mesothelioma Claim Is Heard
After Giacinto Pira died of malignant mesothelioma, his survivors filed a personal injury lawsuit in New York’s court system against Steel Grip, Inc., the manufacturer of safety gloves that he wore while working as a welder. The company, based in Illinois, argued that the case should be dismissed due to jurisdictional questions, but the judge …Read More
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Largest Asbestos Lawsuit Settlements in the US
The largest asbestos settlements, including a staggering $797.5 million asbestos lawsuit, highlight the devastating impact of long-term exposure to this toxic material. Average asbestos lawsuit settlement awards in U.S. history have reached up to $250 million for a single victim. These massive payouts are often awarded in cases of mesothelioma, a deadly cancer caused by …Read More
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Expert Witness in Mesothelioma Trial Admits to Little Knowledge About the Disease
Who wins a mesothelioma lawsuit often depends upon the strength of the testimony expert witnesses provide to the jury. While victims and other witnesses provide information about what happened and how exposure took place, it is expert witnesses who give the jury members the scientific information on which they base their assessment of what is …Read More
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Convenience Store Clerk Who Suffered Second Hand Asbestos Exposure Permitted to Proceed with Mesothelioma Lawsuit
In 2019, Jesse Hernandez was diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma. After realizing that he’d been exposed to asbestos as a young man, when he’d worked at a family grocery store and had come into daily contact with plant workers from the nearby Allied Chemical plant, he filed a negligence lawsuit against Honeywell International as successor to …Read More
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Lifetime of Asbestos Exposure Muddies Mesothelioma Responsibility
When a victim of malignant mesothelioma seeks justice for the harm they’ve suffered, the first step is to figure out when and where their asbestos exposure occurred. Sometimes the answer is clear and straight forward, but in many cases — and particularly for those who served in America’s military — exposure to asbestos was such …Read More
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Jury Awards $25 Million Verdict to Mesothelioma Victim and His Wife
A California man afflicted with malignant testicular mesothelioma has won his lawsuit, taking home $25 million for himself and his wife. Houshang and Soraya Sabetian filed suit against several companies, charging them with negligently exposing him to asbestos when he worked at Iranian oil refineries between 1959 and 1979 and leading to his eventual diagnosis …Read More
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79-Year-Old Mesothelioma Victim Awarded $10 Million in Damages Seven Decades After Asbestos Exposure
After two weeks of testimony about childhood exposure to the same asbestos that killed his father and sickened his brother, a Washington state jury awarded 79-year-old George Kraemer $10 million in compensation for his diagnosis with malignant pleural mesothelioma. Asbestos that Caused Man’s Mesothelioma Also Killed his Father and Sickened his Brother According to testimony …Read More
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Mail Carrier Blames Malignant Mesothelioma on Shipyard Asbestos
When we think of workplaces where mesothelioma is a risk, shipyards immediately come to mind. We picture welders and steelworkers and others who handle asbestos-contaminated materials and think of them as likely victims. But asbestos is a material that breaks down easily into microscopic fibers, and once those fibers become airborne they can be inhaled …Read More
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Court Upholds Jury’s $6 Million Mesothelioma Verdict
In April of 2017, Patrick O’Reilly passed away from malignant mesothelioma after over forty years of working as a union pipefitter in Chicago. After his death, his daughter, Sharon Daniels, filed a lawsuit on behalf of his estate, seeking compensation for the damages that he had suffered. By the time of trial, only gasket and packing …Read More
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Judge in New York Mesothelioma Case Clarifies Role of Punitive Damages
When a loved one dies of malignant mesothelioma, it is natural for those left behind to seek justice from those who exposed them to the asbestos that led to their disease. This is especially true if the entity at fault was aware of asbestos’ dangers, as happened in a case recently heard in New York: …Read More
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Conflicting Testimony from Asbestos Defendant Works to Mesothelioma Victim’s Benefit
When a person diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma files a personal injury lawsuit against an asbestos company, they’re warned that the defendants will do everything they can to win. Asbestos companies argue that there’s no evidence that their product caused the victim’s illness, that there’s no proof their product was used at all, and sometimes even …Read More
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Mesothelioma Widow’s Appeal Results in New Trial
When mesothelioma victims first decide to pursue justice from those responsible for their fatal illness, they’re warned that the journey will be long and challenging, but worthwhile in the end. A good example of the emotional rollercoaster that these lawsuits represent can be seen in the case of James Clevenger, a Navy veteran and maintenance …Read More
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Asbestosis vs Mesothelioma: How Do These Diseases Affect the Lungs?
When it comes to asbestos-related diseases, two terms often come up: asbestosis vs mesothelioma. Both conditions are caused by exposure to asbestos, but they’re not the same and impact the lungs in different ways. Knowing the terrible consequences these illnesses can cause, I think it’s critical to clarify their differences and what they represent for …Read More
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Family Seeks Justice from Talc Companies After Mesothelioma Death
In the last few years, the American public has become aware that the talc sold in popular body powder products over the last several decades may have been contaminated with asbestos, the mineral that causes malignant mesothelioma, asbestosis, and other asbestos-related illnesses. Victims of these diseases have come forward to seek justice from Johnson & …Read More
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Defective 3M Respirators Blamed for Weyerhaeuser Employees’ Mesothelioma
When Elvira Kilty and Herbert Spatz worked for the Weyerhaeuser Company’s door manufacturing plant in Marshfield, Wisconsin, they were issued 3M respirators to protect them against mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases. Years later both were diagnosed with the rare form of cancer and filed suit against 3M. Though the company attempted to have the case …Read More
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Asbestos Companies’ Attempt to Bar Mesothelioma Expert Witnesses’ Testimony Denied
Malignant mesothelioma lawsuits represent high stakes to victims and defendants alike: Many companies that have exposed people to the asbestos that caused their devastating illnesses have been ordered to pay millions of dollars. This has led to aggressive legal strategies, including trying to bar valuable expert witness testimony. In a recent case, a U.S. Magistrate …Read More
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Appeals Court Agrees with Judge in Mesothelioma Dispute
The road to a verdict in a mesothelioma lawsuit can be long, with lots of twists, turns, decisions, and appeals of decisions. When a judge decides in favor of a mesothelioma victim, there’s a good chance that the asbestos company that they’re suing is going to try to have the decision overturned by a higher …Read More
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How to Choose the Right Mesothelioma Attorney for Veterans’ Cases
Veterans frequently have to make sacrifices while serving their nation, some of which are obvious and others of which are not. One of these unspoken dangers is exposure to asbestos, a substance that was once widely utilized in military installations and equipment. This exposure has left many veterans facing mesothelioma, an aggressive cancer that disrupts …Read More