How Much Are Asbestos Damage Awards Worth?

Published: 24th February 2011
Views: N/A
Ask About This Article Print Republish This Article
Asbestos was used for many decades to insulate homes, ships, factories, and more. It's been used extensively in brake linings, ceiling tiles, flooring, as well as almost countless other household products. Although it has phenomenal properties that make it an almost ideal insulator there is one major problem that's associated with asbestos.

The problem is that if you inhale or swallow asbestos particles or asbestos fibers you may ultimately be the victim of such asbestos related diseases as mesothelioma and asbestosis. Asbestos related diseases are usually fatal.

Although the dangers associated with asbestos had been known by companies that manufactured products that contain asbestos, these companies kept that information from the general public for many decades. Some went so far as to deny any allegations that the products their employees were manufacturing might be harmful to their workers' health.

Subsequently many thousands of innocent people suffered from very painful illnesses and eventually died.


Finally, in the 1960s, the truth about asbestos related diseases became clear to the public. Subsequently lawsuits were initiated.

In 1969 the first person who was awarded damages for asbestos-related injuries received $79,000.

In April 2010 Rhoda Evans, the wife of an asbestos pipe cutter, was awarded $200 million in damages because the asbestos fibers her husband brought home on his work clothing caused her to develop mesothelioma.

Her husband, Bobby Evans, had worked for the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power for 20 years.

Mesothelioma often takes ten to forty years to develop after a person has been exposed to asbestos. In this particular instance second-hand exposure caused the disease.

The amount of damages that a plaintiff in asbestos related litigation might receive in punitive and compensatory awards will vary from one case to the next. Some of the factors that the judge and jury use to determine the amount of damages that are awarded to the plaintiff include the length of time the victim was exposed to asbestos, the degree of their injury, how the defendants conducted themselves, and more.


In other words, each mesothelioma or asbestos lawsuit is different.

Asbestos related lawsuits can be quite complicated and require an extensive amount of research. In order to be successful in this type of a lawsuit potential plaintiffs are advised to seek the help of an experienced mesothelioma attorney.

Law firms that specialize in mesothelioma litigation have the necessary staff and experience that is required to enhance the probabilities that a lawsuit will result in the plaintiffs being granted either a substantial settlement or award. Because of the work involved it would be virtually impossible to win one of these cases without the expertise and experience that a mesothelioma law firm offers.


------

Next, to find experienced mesothelioma law firms go to http://www.sokolovelaw.com/legal-help/mesothelioma-law-firm/index

Wendy Moyer on behalf of Sokolove Law.

This article is free for republishing
Source: http://wendymoyer.articlealley.com/how-much-are-asbestos-damage-awards-worth-2068079.html


Report this article Ask About This Article Print Republish This Article


Loading...
More to Explore
 


Ask a Professional Online Now
27 Experts are Online. Ask a Question, Get an Answer ASAP.
Type your question here...
Optional:
Select...