Mesothelioma is an aggressive cancer, and a diagnosis impacts entire families. If you or your loved one was recently diagnosed, it can feel overwhelming. Besides the stress of dealing with cancer in general, the financial impact can quickly add up from expenses like treatments, traveling for specialized care, and even basic living costs.
Many families have turned to top mesothelioma attorneys like Ricky LeBlanc for help accessing financial compensation and justice after a diagnosis. Ricky is the managing attorney of Sokolove Law, a nationally recognized mesothelioma law firm, with over 45 years of experience.
As the son of a pipefitter and factory worker, Ricky is dedicated to protecting families unfairly harmed by corporate giants that hid the health risks of asbestos, the only known cause of mesothelioma, for decades.
We spoke with Ricky about mesothelioma legal options and how lawyers at Sokolove Law can help families like yours following a diagnosis.
Q: How Does Mesothelioma Impact Families?
A: The hardest part of my job is seeing how asbestos-related illnesses like mesothelioma devastate families, and knowing that devastation could have been avoided. Companies hid the risks of asbestos, and families, ultimately, paid the price. Taking legal action allows asbestos exposure victims to hold these companies accountable for their negligence, since that’s what using asbestos and not warning anyone was.
Worse, not only does mesothelioma destroy the patient’s health, but the high costs of treatment and other expenses can put financial strain on the whole family.
Most families don’t have hundreds of thousands of dollars available to pay for treatment, so getting medical care can mean depleting savings accounts or going into debt. Spouses or children may need to step into caregiving roles or quit their jobs.
Everyone’s life can be shaken up, and part of my job as a lawyer is to help protect families from that impact. It’s the sadness, anger, and unfairness of mesothelioma that motivates me to seek justice for my clients every day.
Q: How Can a Mesothelioma Lawyer Help Families?
A: When I represent families affected by mesothelioma, I work to make sure they’re fully compensated for their cancer. While we can’t give you your health back, we try to right some of the wrongs by forcing manufacturers to compensate you for your diagnosis.
Medical treatment for mesothelioma is incredibly costly, and that’s not even including unexpected expenses like home care or traveling to cancer centers. You shouldn’t have to shoulder the expenses alone, so we fight to get families payouts for medical expenses, for lost wages, for all the everyday costs that pile up during treatment.
At the same time, we’re also working to get justice for you since mesothelioma was entirely preventable. Manufacturers knew asbestos exposure could be deadly, but these companies failed to warn you and your family or provide protection if you were exposed at work. So, you can hold them accountable for causing your illness.
Q: What If Families Don’t Know How They Were Exposed?
A: When clients first hear their cancer was caused by something they were exposed to potentially 40, 50, 60 years ago, they’re often shocked. Many have a hard time remembering what it was they worked with that may have contained asbestos, but Sokolove Law has a fantastic team of investigators who will work with you to pinpoint where in your work history you were exposed to asbestos.
Then, we reference an internal database of evidence that shows the manufacturers responsible for those asbestos-containing products, as well as the job sites and contractors that used them. This allows us to build a clear case linking your exposure to specific companies and products, even decades later, so you can pursue the compensation you deserve with confidence.
Many patients may have never worked with asbestos directly. We’re seeing more and more cases of secondhand exposure to asbestos, when someone is exposed through their loved one’s work around asbestos and now has mesothelioma.
Some of the most heartbreaking cases I’ve seen involved children or spouses of workers developing mesothelioma. Workers in industries like construction or shipbuilding often unknowingly came home covered in asbestos fibers, exposing loved ones secondhand.
I once represented the widow and daughter of a man who passed away from mesothelioma. Only a few years after successfully concluding their case, the daughter called to tell me her mother had also passed away from mesothelioma. It’s heartbreaking, and I was proud to fight for the family, but these tragedies are preventable.
If these companies had chosen safer alternatives instead of asbestos, countless families would not be facing the devastating consequences of asbestos-related disease today.
Q: What Are My Mesothelioma Compensation Options?
A: When a family comes to me after a mesothelioma diagnosis, I know how overwhelming it can feel. There’s so much information out there, both medically and legally, and it can be hard to know what to do next or what to expect.
With Sokolove Law, we are able to navigate three unique paths to pursue compensation for our clients, and my job is to guide families through them every step of the way.
In most instances, compensation is pursued by filing mesothelioma lawsuits through the civil court system against the companies that made the products with asbestos. We investigate your or your loved one’s work history, identify the specific asbestos-containing products involved, and hold the manufacturers accountable in court, seeking compensation for the harm caused.
There are billions of dollars still available for mesothelioma patients and their families in asbestos trust funds. These trust funds were set up by companies that went bankrupt due to asbestos liabilities and exist solely to compensate people harmed by their products. We prepare and file trust fund claims to help our clients pursue that compensation.
For U.S. veterans with mesothelioma, there may also be VA benefits available, including monthly compensation and health care coverage. As a VA-accredited attorney, I’m committed to helping veterans get the resources they need to build the strongest VA claims possible.
Q: What Should My Family Look for in an Asbestos Law Firm?
A: When your family is facing mesothelioma, you need a law firm that has experience handling these cases in order to get you the results you need — and a firm that will make you feel comfortable through the process.
These cases are complex and require a firm that understands asbestos exposure, how to find the companies responsible, and how to file in the state that gives you the best chance for compensation, so the process is relatively simple and stress-free.
At Sokolove Law, we handle almost everything for our clients, often without them ever needing to go to court. Your legal team requires very little of you once you sign on. They’ll start investigating your asbestos exposure, gather evidence like medical records, and file claims for you. You’ll need to answer some questions from time to time and sign the paperwork.
Most of all, your legal team should make you feel supported — like you’re being cared for by people who truly understand what your family is facing.
Q. How Long Does It Take to Get Mesothelioma Compensation?
A: Every case is different because there are many factors impacting potential payout timelines. Some have started to receive compensation in as few as 6 weeks with our help, but typically, it takes around 2 or 3 months for the first settlement checks to start coming in.
Then, families often continue to receive compensation for potentially several years, usually between 12 to 36 months or so, until the claim against each company is resolved.
Where you file your lawsuit plays a big role in how quickly it takes to get compensated. Since Sokolove Law is a national law firm, we have the ability to file your claim in jurisdictions where it’ll be heard faster. This means you may be able to get compensation sooner.
There will likely be numerous defendants, several dozen in most cases, depending on the asbestos-containing products you were exposed to. We’ll work to negotiate settlements with each of them, and most will want to settle quickly to avoid a trial in court.
Q: What Can Mesothelioma Settlement Money Be Used For?
A: There are no restrictions on how families decide to use the compensation they get from mesothelioma settlements or trust fund payouts. Many clients have used their settlement checks to cover everything from outstanding health care costs to mortgage payments.
Compensation can also help provide for your spouse, kids, and grandkids in the event that you pass away from mesothelioma. Some clients have used the money to plan a family trip, making lasting memories in the face of a diagnosis.
You worked hard all your life and didn’t deserve to develop this cancer. One of the most rewarding parts of my work is ensuring that clients won’t have to worry about day-to-day expenses or who’ll take care of their families when they’re gone.
So, if you’ve been recently diagnosed, I encourage you to reach out to see if we can help you file a mesothelioma claim. The compensation can be life-changing.
Find a Top Mesothelioma Lawyer Now
Mesothelioma Hope helps families like yours understand your legal options and get support during this difficult time.
Our connection to top mesothelioma law firms like Sokolove Law and Simmons Hanly Conroy means that you’ll have the best asbestos exposure attorneys by your side if you choose to pursue a lawsuit.
Contact us now for a free case evaluation to get started. It is always free to connect with us, and there’s no commitment to move forward unless you are ready.
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