Malignant mesothelioma is a terminal disease, which
affects the lungs, abdomen or heart cavities. Once the
symptoms of this cancer have manifested, the victim's
lifespan is usually reduced to an average of one year,
sometimes less and sometime a little longer. This cancer
has no known cure, and because it has a long latency
period of several decades is often too advanced to treat
effectively by the time it is diagnosed. Further delays
can result from the non-specific symptoms of
mesothelioma, which can make it difficult for even
seasoned medical professionals to determine the presence
of the disease. All of symptoms resemble those of more
common ailments, making it very easy for an incorrect
diagnosis to be made.
The effect that mesothelioma has on the lives of the
victims and their families is dramatic. The victim is
put through mental and physical pain, and has to live
with the knowledge that he or she could die within
months. The family of the sufferer has to live with the
pain and grief of losing a family member, and may end up
in financial trouble once the sufferer has passed away.
And on top of all this, the medical bills for treatment
and diagnosis keep piling up.
These are a few of the reasons why mesothelioma victims
are entitled to compensation, and it is the companies
that exposed these people to asbestos or the
manufacturers of the asbestos products that are
responsible for paying out this compensation. Many
mesothelioma patients have successfully claimed millions
of dollars in compensation, which is used to pay for
medical treatment as well as provide a finically secure
future for the family of the victim. In cases where a
loved one has already passed on due to mesothelioma ,
family members can pursue a claim for compensation.
It is important for mesothelioma victims or the family
of deceased mesothelioma victims to take fast action
when it comes to filing a claim or a lawsuit. Statues of
limitation, which differ from state to state, mean that
there is a time limit placed upon the amount of time you
have to file you lawsuit, and if you do not adhere to
these timescales you could render any claim invalid. You
must always check the statue of limitation in the state
in which you plan to take action, and then act as
quickly as possible to increase your chances of success.
Because many companies have been forced in to bankruptcy
through mesothelioma lawsuits over the last couple of
decades, some members of the US Senate recently tried to
push through a bill relating to compensation for
mesothelioma victims. The new bill was based upon a
trust fund that would be funded by the insurers of the
companies responsible for asbestos exposure, and all
future mesothelioma claims would go through this trust
fund. However, the bill was opposed by many, including
victims of the disease, support groups and legal
professionals, who all thought that the trust fund was
designed to save the companies from bankruptcy rather
than help mesothelioma victims. Sufferers of the disease
were likely to receive far less compensation, and claim
processing would take far longer. Fortunately, the bill
failed earlier this year. Since then another bill of a
similar nature has been proposed, but this time the
trust fund is likely to be much higher than previous
proposals.
Until one of these trust fund proposals is passed
through senate, mesothelioma victims and their families
are still required to seek legal assistance from an
independent mesothelioma lawyer in order to file their
claim for compensation.
Finding a mesothelioma lawyer
Choosing the right mesothelioma lawyer for your case is
a very important decision for you and your family. You
do not want to make a mistake by not choosing an
experienced, successful, honest and qualified attorney.
We are here to help. We have have already prescreened
and prequalified mesothelioma lawyers who are willing to
handle cases from across the United States. Once you
contact us we will put you in touch with a law firm that
is qualified to handle your case. Our screening process
requires that the lawyer has represented a client in
court that has been awarded a single verdict of at least
$10 million, been licensed to practice for at least 15
years, has no disciplinary violations with any state
licensing authority, and is willing to represent clients
in your geographic location. Our prescreened and
prequalified attorneys are willing to evaluate your
mesothelioma claim at no obligation to you. Contact us
today at 1-800-926-9654 or by filling out the contact
information form. We will put you in touch with the
right lawyer for your case today.
After you have compiled a short list of mesothelioma
lawyers you have done most of the hard work. Narrowing
your list down to the lawyer that you choose to
represent you shouldn't be difficult at this stage. It
is important to call and speak with each of the
potential firms / lawyers so that you get a feel for not
only their practising style, but also so you can see if
you feel comfortable with them. You'll be spending a lot
of time with this person and the outcome of your case
will depend on them.
Mesothelioma settlements
The value of a mesothelioma settlement can vary quite
drastically, anywhere from thousands to hundreds of
millions. The average settlement for a mesothelioma case
was 1 million US in 2001. If the case went to trial, the
average amount awarded to the plaintiff was 6 million.
These amounts were 3 times the average that was awarded
just 2 years before in 1999. As you can see from the
amounts awarded in these types of cases, when looking
for a lawyer they should take a great deal of time to
discuss their strategy and experience in this area and
also answer any questions that you may have
Required documentation
When considering starting a mesothelioma case, it is
important that you have various documentation. Medical
records showing asbestos-caused medical conditions
(particularly mesothelioma, which can only be caused by
asbestos) are necessary. There is a statute of
limitations on mesothelioma cases so make sure that you
file within a couple years of diagnosis. If left too
long you may not be entitled to any compensation. It is
also useful to have documents showing employement by the
company that you worked for at a specific time and place
