Mesothelioma Legal Help

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Benefits of Legal Help
Asbestos Trust Fund Compensation
Mesothelioma Lawsuits
Working With a Mesothelioma Lawyer

What Legal Options Do Mesothelioma Victims Have?

Mesothelioma cancer victims have two main legal options to obtain compensation.

Mesothelioma Lawsuits

Patients may be able to file lawsuits to pursue compensation from the makers of asbestos-containing products. These manufacturers knew that asbestos was dangerous but used it anyway to keep making money. Mesothelioma lawsuits often award millions of dollars.

Asbestos Trust Fund Claims

Some asbestos companies filed for bankruptcy to avoid getting sued. However, many were forced to set aside money in trust funds to pay people who were harmed. Asbestos trust funds contain over $30 billion today.

Learn about getting mesothelioma legal help now with a free consultation from our partner law firm, Simmons Hanly Conroy.

Quick Facts on Mesothelioma Legal Help

An asbestos lawyer can help mesothelioma patients file claims against multiple asbestos companies or trust funds.
According to Mealey’s® Litigation Reports, mesothelioma lawsuits settle for an average of $1 million to $1.4 million. Mesothelioma trial verdicts typically award $5 million to $11.4 million on average.
Veterans can file for VA benefits with mesothelioma legal help if their cancer was caused by military asbestos exposure.

Benefits of Mesothelioma Legal Help

Mesothelioma legal help allows families to pursue much-deserved compensation. This money can be used for medical bills, treatment-related travel costs, lost wages, and other expenses.

Learn about the ways that mesothelioma legal help may benefit you and your loved ones below.

Pursue Compensation for Mesothelioma Treatment

Mesothelioma treatments can be hard to afford for the thousands of families who are affected by this aggressive cancer each year.

On average, it can cost someone with mesothelioma patients over $500,000 to get treated.

Mesothelioma legal help allows you and your loved ones to seek compensation from negligent asbestos product manufacturers that you can apply toward your medical bills.

Provide Financial Security for Loved Ones

Beyond affording treatment, mesothelioma legal help can secure money to keep your family financially stable. This, in turn, can give you peace of mind — if anything should happen to you, your loved ones will be taken care of.

After his mesothelioma diagnosis, Arthur sought mesothelioma legal help to make sure he and his wife Jan wouldn’t have to worry financially. View Arthur’s story below.

Arthur and Jan Putt’s lives were changed forever after Arthur’s mesothelioma diagnosis in 2018. Thankfully, they found peace of mind by working with Simmons Hanly Conroy, a national mesothelioma law firm. Call (866) 608-8933 today to request your free case review. View Transcript.

Duration: 4 min 21 sec

Arthur Putt:
What we do every night, we sit together and we’ll watch TV, and then at 07:00, we have our ice cream
bar.

Jan Putt:
My name is Jan Putt. I’m married to Art who was diagnosed with mesothelioma in April 2018. Originally,
the doctor said he would have possibly six months to a year, and that was four years ago. So I love him. I
still got him.

Arthur Putt:
I feel sorry for somebody that loses someone and they don’t have that time to say what they think or
last or how they feel. We do it every day, and it has been that way even before this happened. We did
everything together, remodeling our homes and stuff like that, her woodworking.

Jan Putt:
We used to go out for long drives, just go out sightseeing, and we’d be gone for four or five hours.

Arthur Putt:
We never get tired of being together.

Jan Putt:
His very early symptoms were just a very light hacky cough, and I couldn’t get him to go to see the
doctor until it got a little worse one day and he decided maybe he needed to go see somebody. They did
a X-ray and they thought he had pneumonia, but the radiologist wasn’t happy with that and wanted
more tests. So they did some scans, and that was the first time they said he had mesothelioma.

Arthur Putt:
It was kind of good to know that there was no cure for it in a way. I was able to make the best out of my
life from that point on. We just got positive about it, that I was lucky to have time, to spend quality time
with her and say what I wanted to say, and not just all of a sudden be gone. So we cherish every day of
it.

I really wasn’t much of a mechanic at first. I got a job at a service station. We did a lot of brakes. That
was probably our, besides tune-up, that was our next busiest thing. We had done it the old-fashioned
way and we had dust everywhere.

Jan Putt:
We filed a mesothelioma lawsuit because we had family members and stuff that encouraged us to do it.
Our daughter in Indiana knew somebody that had worked with Simmons Hanly Conroy and had had a
very good experience.
Come on in.

John Barnerd:
It’s so good to see you.

Jan Putt:
John first came here and we had several meetings with him and crowds of people at times.

John Barnerd:
Within about nine or 10 months, I think from when we had filed the case-ts

Arthur Putt:
We had four settlement jury verdict, and only one we had to go to court for. The one thing that shocked
and amazed me was when they called me in to see them. I walked in there and it must have been 8, 10
lawyers in there all working on this thing.

What he did for us, made our financial situation a whole lot better. We gave all that money to our kids,
paid our house off. It made our life a little easier. We’ve got no financial worries, and that makes it
easier for me to know that she’s taken care of, and we have John and his firm to thank for all that.
What I tell people, is it’s the one good thing that came out of something bad. I can’t say how miserable
this would be without him and what he did and his firm, and his family as far as we’re concerned.

Hold Negligent Asbestos Companies Accountable

You can hold manufacturers of asbestos-containing products accountable with mesothelioma legal help. Virtually the entire asbestos industry knew the deadly risks for decades but did nothing to protect workers and their families.

About 3,000 people are diagnosed with mesothelioma annually, and most die within five years. Filing a legal claim sends a clear message: Asbestos manufacturers cannot get away with the harm they caused.

Take the first step toward getting mesothelioma legal help by connecting with our featured law firm for a free case evaluation today.

Notable mesothelioma compensation recovered by Simmons Hanly Conroy:

$250 million verdict for a steelworker
$40 million verdict for a U.S. Navy veteran
$7 million settlement for a wire installer
$5.6 million settlement for an engineer

Connect With Simmons Hanly Conroy

Asbestos Trust Fund Compensation

Families affected by mesothelioma can use mesothelioma legal help to seek asbestos trust fund compensation. Many companies set up asbestos trust funds as part of bankruptcy deals after they faced mounting lawsuits.

Here’s how the asbestos trust funds process works:

Mesothelioma patients work with a lawyer to file a trust fund claim. This claim outlines how, when, and where the patient was exposed to asbestos and how this caused them to develop mesothelioma.
The victim’s lawyer sends the claim to the board of trustees (those operating the trust fund).
The board of trustees reviews the claim and awards compensation.

As of today, more than 60 companies have established asbestos trust funds. Many mesothelioma victims qualify to file claims with multiple trusts.

Some trust funds start to pay out in 90 days or less — see if you’re eligible to file a claim right now.

Lawsuits for Mesothelioma

Lawsuits are another common form of mesothelioma legal help. Learn more about the different mesothelioma lawsuit options below.

Mesothelioma Personal Injury Lawsuits

Personal injury lawsuits are filed directly against the companies that exposed a mesothelioma victim to asbestos.

Mesothelioma attorneys help families with personal injury lawsuits by:

Gathering evidence to find out how the victim developed mesothelioma
Determining which asbestos companies may be responsible
Filing asbestos lawsuits against these companies
Strengthening the case with additional evidence
Meeting with the opposing legal team to negotiate a settlement
Taking the mesothelioma case to trial, if needed

Your asbestos attorney can guide you through all the steps of the legal process. Ideally, a successful mesothelioma lawsuit will award enough money to cover the victim’s medical expenses and protect their family’s future.

Mesothelioma Wrongful Death Lawsuits

If an asbestos exposure victim dies from mesothelioma, their family or estate representative may be able to file a wrongful death lawsuit.

Wrongful death lawsuits must show how asbestos-containing products made by manufacturers caused or contributed to the person’s death. From there, a mesothelioma attorney can demand compensation from the asbestos companies responsible.

Learn if your family may be able to pursue compensation through a personal injury or wrongful death mesothelioma lawsuit. Contact us now.

Mesothelioma Class-Action Lawsuits

In the 1990s, one of the most popular mesothelioma legal help options was a class-action lawsuit.

These lawsuits allowed groups of victims to file one collective lawsuit against a company. In return, each victim received the same amount of money. However, victims of asbestos exposure often did not receive a fair amount of money back from class-action lawsuits.

For this reason, mesothelioma class-action lawsuits are rarely filed today. Personal injury lawsuits, wrongful death lawsuits, and asbestos trust fund claims are much better options for those affected by mesothelioma.

Mesothelioma Case Values

Each lawsuit has a case value, which is how much money the victim can expect to receive. The average mesothelioma case value depends on whether or not the case is settled out of court or goes to trial.

Mesothelioma Settlements

The average mesothelioma settlement is estimatedbetween $1 million and 1.4 million. How much money you could obtain depends on several factors, including how many companies are sued.

You may qualify for settlements from dozens of manufacturers, depending on which asbestos-based products you were exposed to. Some patients have received multi-million dollar settlements.

Notable mesothelioma settlements include:

$12 million to a former laborer with pleural mesothelioma
$10.5 million to a former pipefitter and maintenance worker
$6.5 million to a man who worked as a boilermaker and in other high-risk asbestos jobs
$4.1 million to a U.S. Marine Corps veteran and former carpenter

Learn more about getting mesothelioma legal help through a settlement.

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Mesothelioma Verdicts

Only about 1% of the mesothelioma lawsuits our partner law firm handles go to trial. If a mesothelioma case goes to trial, a judge or jury ultimately decides how much money (if any) will be awarded. Both legal teams present their cases, and the judge or jury issues a mesothelioma verdict.

Notable mesothelioma verdicts include:

$250 million to a former steelworker from Indiana
$40 million to a veteran exposed to asbestos on Navy ships
$30 million to a former construction supervisor from California
$7 million to a welder from Pennsylvania

Trials do come with more risk than mesothelioma settlements, though. If the judge or jury sides with the asbestos company, you could get no money. Further, even if the verdict is in your favor, the asbestos company could try to overturn it.

All of these risks make trials more expensive and time-consuming than settlements, which is why lawyers will almost always try to settle the case if possible.

How Long Does a Mesothelioma Lawsuit Last?

Verdict and settlement timelines for mesothelioma lawsuits vary with each case. That said, many clients who have worked with our partner law firm Simmons Hanly Conroy have started to get the first payouts from their lawsuits in 90 days or less.

Call (866) 608-8933 to get a better idea of when you may be able to expect compensation from a mesothelioma settlement.

Working With a Mesothelioma Lawyer

A reputable asbestos attorney is best equipped to provide mesothelioma legal advice and effectively manage your case. Qualified mesothelioma lawyers have decades of experience filing these types of claims and know how to build strong cases on behalf of their clients.

The best mesothelioma lawyers:

Determine when, where, and how the victim’s asbestos exposure happened
Have a proven track record of successfully handling asbestos cases
Understand each state’s time limits on filing a case
Fight to maximize lawsuit settlement payouts for their clients

General personal injury lawyers may not understand how to get the most value from a mesothelioma claim. Mesothelioma attorneys specifically focus on these types of lawsuits, which means their clients are in the best hands possible.

Download our Free Attorney Checklist today to get help selecting a mesothelioma lawyer.

Getting Legal Help From a Mesothelioma Law Firm

Top asbestos lawyers work at renowned mesothelioma law firms that have helped thousands of families affected by asbestos exposure pursue compensation.

The best mesothelioma law firms have:

Experience: It is key to work with a law firm that has handled other cases successfully. Ask your firm about settlements and verdicts it’s secured for past clients.
National reach: Large mesothelioma law firms are licensed to file asbestos claims in any state. These law firms can also send lawyers to meet with you to discuss the case at no cost to you.
Resources: Top law firms have archives of information about the asbestos industry and previous claims they’ve handled to support your case.

Local or general law firms may not have the resources available to help mesothelioma victims recover the maximum compensation.

Find more information for your state below.

Get Mesothelioma Legal Advice Today

Mesothelioma legal help is crucial for people diagnosed with this cancer and other asbestos-related diseases.

Without it, victims and their family members may have to spend half a million dollars — or more — to afford the high treatment costs. However, the amount of time to take legal action is limited.

To get personalized mesothelioma legal advice, get a free case review today. Our team can determine what legal options may be available to you.

Mesothelioma Legal Information FAQs

Can you sue for mesothelioma?

Yes. Mesothelioma has only one known cause: asbestos exposure. Manufacturers knew asbestos-containing products caused health issues as early as the 1930s but hid the truth. It may be possible to sue them if you get sick.

An asbestos lawyer can provide mesothelioma legal help by determining how you were exposed and which asbestos manufacturers may be responsible.

Where can I get mesothelioma legal information?

You can get mesothelioma legal information from experienced lawyers and law firms. Legal professionals can tell you about your options and file lawsuits or asbestos trust fund claims on your behalf.

Mesothelioma lawyers and law firms can also help you learn about other ways to get compensation, like Medicare and Medicaid, Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI), and VA benefits.

Will I have to go to court for a mesothelioma legal case?

In most cases, no. Roughly 99% of the mesothelioma legal cases our partner law firm handles are settled out of court.

Most lawyers want to avoid going to trial since trials take longer and there’s no guarantee of getting mesothelioma compensation. Your lawyers will prepare your case in the event a trial is needed but will do all they can to get a fair settlement for you out of court.

How long do I have to file a mesothelioma lawsuit?

You typically need to file a lawsuit within 2-3 years after a mesothelioma diagnosis.

Each state has different laws, known as statutes of limitations, that restrict the time you have to file a lawsuit. Once the statute of limitations passes, you may no longer be able to take legal action.

An asbestos lawyer can help you understand the statute that applies to your claim. Don’t wait: Contact us to get help filing right now.

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