20 Fun Infographics About Asbestos Lawsuit History

Asbestos Lawsuit History

Lawyers like Stanley Levy have helped many asbestos victims. Patients suffering from asbestos-related diseases like mesothelioma can sue companies who mined or manufactured asbestos.

Nellie Kershaw was the first to file an asbestos lawsuit. She worked in a plant that spun asbestos fibers in England and developed health problems. She died at age 33 of fibrosis in the lung caused by asbestos exposure.

The First Cases

Asbestos is a dangerous mineral that has afflicted or killed thousands of people over the course of time. Asbestos claims can be filed for many reasons, but they generally involve people who were exposed to the substance at work. This could include workers in factories that produced asbestos-related products or those working in the construction of buildings that contain asbestos, and even those who were exposed to asbestos secondhand from household products that were contaminated, such as talcum powder.

Anyone who was exposed to asbestos could be afflicted with a variety of illnesses, including mesothelioma and lung cancer and other respiratory diseases. While some of these illnesses are extremely serious and could be fatal, a lot of people have been able to obtain compensation for their injuries. Many countries have laws that require companies that create dangerous substances warn anyone who may be injured.

The first asbestos lawsuit that was filed in 1929 was filed by a woman with the name of Anna Pirskowski. She was suffering from shortness of breath and thickening in the fingertip tissue (known as clubbing). She was awarded an amount of $75,000 in settlement that is believed to be the first class action lawsuit in connection with asbestos.

In the years following there were a lot of asbestos lawsuits were filed. Some of the cases grew very large, and many attorneys started to specialize in asbestos litigation. They only took on cases that were extremely important. One firm that was involved in this was Kazan Law, which in the late 1980s began to focus on bringing cases on behalf of mesothelioma patients.

Other lawsuits have been won by people who suffered from asbestos-related illnesses, such as asbestosis and pleural plaques. The condition that caused them was similar to the mesothelioma, and therefore more straightforward to prove for lawyers. These claims also led to the disclosure of secret documents that demonstrated how manufacturers of asbestos products tried to conceal the risks. In 1989, the Asbestos Ban & Phase Out Rule was enacted.

The Second Cases

As the number of people suffering from asbestos-related diseases grew, patients and their families began filing lawsuits against companies that mined, produced or sold asbestos-containing products. In addition, mesothelioma sufferers filed claims against the companies who designed and constructed the buildings where they worked like shipyards, power plants factories and refineries. The connection between asbestos exposure and the development of mesothelioma is strong.

By the early 1980s, the legal battle over asbestos lawsuits began to escalate and the courts made decisions on various aspects of the procedure. A federal court, for example, ruled that only those suffering from asbestos-related malignancies like mesothelioma and lung cancer were eligible to take on asbestos manufacturers. products. This ruling, referred to as Borel V. Fibreboard Paper Products Corp. was a major setback for asbestos litigation.

At around the same time, Nellie Kershaw, a factory worker from Rochdale, England, filed what is considered the first well-known legal case against asbestos companies. Kershaw, who had been diagnosed with lung issues due to her frequent contact with asbestos fibers, attempted to convince the company she worked for to cover her treatment. The company was unable to pay. Kershaw passed away at 33 years old from lung fibrosis.

The second phase of asbestos lawsuits focused on people who had been exposed to different types asbestos-containing building products, such as fireproofing sprays, and drywall products. Asbestos lawyers also prevailed in cases against companies that made the equipment that made use of asbestos-containing materials, like boilers and pumps.

During this period, numerous documents that implicated asbestos companies were discovered. These documents revealed their involvement in conspiracies and fraud. The documents included the personal files of Johns-Manville president Sumner Simpson, as well as correspondence from the general counsel for another asbestos manufacturer, Raybestos Manhattan. These documents revealed the plot of these companies to conceal the fact that asbestos was dangerous and to suppress efforts to inform the public about asbestos' dangers.

In the early and mid-1980s in the 1980s, when these and other forms of corporate fraud and conspiracy were uncovered in the 1980s, a wave of class action settlement was initiated, as well as other attempts made to reduce asbestos liability by asbestos companies. These efforts were met with a fierce opposition from plaintiffs' lawyers and their clients, as well as the general public in general.

The Third Case

By the 1970s asbestos companies could no longer cover up the dangers of asbestos-related diseases like mesothelioma from the public. This was due in large part to the fact that major national publications began to pay attention to the link between asbestos, mesothelioma and other respiratory diseases, instead of small industry medical journals and newsletters. Once the connection between asbestos and serious illness was well established, victims started filing lawsuits against asbestos producers.

In the 1970s, a court decision that allowed plaintiffs to recourse to strict liability as a legal principle was one of the main factors that led to an increase in asbestos lawsuits. Plaintiffs in asbestos lawsuits used to need to prove that asbestos producers were negligent in exposing them. In the 1973 case of Borel v. Fibreboard a judge ruled asbestos manufacturers accountable for any injuries caused by their products if they knew their product was dangerous but did not inform their employees or the general public about its dangers.

After the ruling, a number of asbestos producers were forced to file for bankruptcy. This allows a business, while still in operation, to reorganize its affairs in bankruptcy court and to put money into trusts to pay asbestos claimants. Johns-Manville is an example. It was hit by many lawsuits filed by former factory employees who were suffering from asbestosis, mesothelioma, or lung cancer. Kazan Law set several cases against the manufacturer and was able obtain punitive damages verdicts against the company.

Since then, asbestos litigation has continued grow due to the growing number of people suffering from asbestos-related diseases. Asbestos lawsuits are often complicated, as the illnesses they cause can take years to manifest and are not always immediately apparent to those who are diagnosed.

Some victims have also had to wait years for compensation from insurance companies even after their employers were found responsible. The US Supreme Court has dealt with numerous cases involving settlements for class actions that asbestos companies offered in an attempt to limit their liability and it has also considered the issue of whether it is possible to hold individuals responsible for asbestos-related injuries.

The Fourth Case

Asbestos is a highly dangerous mineral, which has sickened or killed hundreds of thousands of people over the decades. Asbestos was also widely used by manufacturers who were aware of its dangers however they continued to use it.

As the legal system handles these asbestos lawsuits and asbestos lawsuits, new developments take place all the time. One of the most significant legal developments is a ruling known as Lubbe v. Cape Plc, which set the precedent for victims to sue multinational corporations in their home jurisdictions to recover compensation.

These cases typically involve secondary exposure to asbestos. This occurs when employees who handle asbestos on the job transfer it to their spouses or children living at home. The family members are affected by mesothelioma as well as other asbestos-related diseases.

Many lawsuits are filed today by the families of victims based on this type of case. Asbestos lawyers can aid families file a claim against the company responsible for their loved ones' asbestos-related injuries.

The rise of class-action lawsuits is another major development in asbestos litigation. These asbestos lawsuits permit victims to seek justice with the aid of a lawyer who is well-versed in the legal issues these cases present.

While many asbestos attorneys have advocated for this type of litigation, there are also certain people who do not support it. In actual fact there have been numerous attempts to pass legislation that would limit the use of asbestos class actions.

The most recent major development in asbestos attorney litigation is the filing of a suit by Massachusetts residents against four companies over their handling of asbestos removal and disposal. The lawsuit alleged the companies did not follow state laws by not disposing asbestos properly and failing residents from the harmful dust.

Asbestos litigation is a long-standing problem that will likely persist for a number of decades to come. The asbestos industry has attempted to shield itself from responsibility by using legal arguments based on technicalities and by attempting to pass legislative solutions that would block victims from seeking justice. It appears that a lot of victims, and their lawyers are determined to see justice done.