Mesothelioma and Asbestos News Updates

Posted by Craig Whitney on December 26, 2011

Asbestos and Mesothelioma Lawsuits

  • Tough choice looms for people suing over 9/11 health claims: to apply for gov’t aid or not (December 25, 2011): More than 1,600 people who filed lawsuits claiming that their health was ruined by dust and smoke from the collapsed World Trade Center must decide by Jan. 2 whether to keep fighting in court, or drop the litigation and apply for benefits from a government compensation fund. Although the fund would cover ailments such as asthma, scarred lungs and other respiratory system problems, patients who develop mesothelioma or other forms of cancer are not eligible for compensation.
  • Asbestos victim awarded $2M in mesothelioma lawsuit (December 21, 2011): A New York man who was diagnosed with mesothelioma in December 2010 was awarded $2 million in a mesothelioma lawsuit filed against his former employer. Gerald Failing received the verdict after a jury found a materials company for responsible for exposing him to cancerous asbestos fibers.
  • Settlement reached in Missouri mesothelioma lawsuit (December 15, 2011): A mesothelioma lawsuit filed against U.S. Engineering Co. in Missouri has been settled for $10 million. Nancy Lopez filed the lawsuit alleging that the company failed to follow proper procedures in removing asbestos from the courthouse where she worked.

Mesothelioma lawsuits numbers continue to rise in U.S.

Posted by Andrew McEnaney on July 28, 2011

According to a new report published by Reuters news service, the number of mesothelioma lawsuits filed in the U.S. has continued to rise in recent years. According to one estimate, the total liability for the asbestos industry could eventually stretch to $75 billion in damages and settlements to victims of asbestos-related diseases.

Although some have reported that the number of new cases of malignant mesothelioma have fallen in recent years, projections by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National Center for Health Statistics show the number of deaths from mesothelioma and asbestosis continuing to rise through at least 2016.

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Free Mesothelioma Information Packet

Posted by Craig Whitney on January 26, 2011

The law firm of Hissey Kientz, LLP is pleased to offer a free mesothelioma information packet to prospective clients and other individuals seeking information about the hazards of asbestos exposure.

The free packet contains information about the latest treatments for mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases, resources for asbestos victims and their loved ones, information on how to obtain legal assistance from an attorney and instructions on how to receive free asbestos testing to determine if you or a loved one has been exposed to asbestos.

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Asbestos firms Bondex and Garlock file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection

Posted by Andrew McEnaney on June 29, 2010

Two companies facing thousands of asbestos lawsuits, Garlock Sealing Technologies and Bondex International, have filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, according to recent articles in the Wall Street Journal and Reuters. More than 100,000 lawsuits have been filed against the two companies by plaintiffs who allege that they developed mesothelioma or other illnesses after using the companies’ asbestos products.

Garlock, which is owned by parent company EnPro Industries, has manufactured gaskets, hydraulic components, metal seals and other sealing products for more than 100 years. According to its bankruptcy filing, Garlock states that it is spending $100 million per year to settle and defend asbestos lawsuits filed against the company.

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Calif. court rules that U.S. Navy can be apportioned 'fault' in mesothelioma lawsuits

Posted by Andrew McEnaney on June 16, 2010

On June 3, the California 1st District Court of Appeals ruled that the United States Navy could be allocated a share of “fault” when apportioning fault between defendants in a mesothelioma lawsuit.

The case, Collins v. Plant Insulation Co. [PDF], was filed by family members of former Navy shipyard asbestos worker Ulysses Collins, who died in May 2005 from mesothelioma caused by asbestos exposure.

Over a period of nearly 35 years, Collins was employed at several jobs that required him to work extensively with asbestos. These included four years as a boilermaker welder at a Standard Oil refinery and more than 30 years at the Hunters Point Naval Shipyard and Mare Island Naval Shipyard, where he also worked as a welder.

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