If you have been diagnosed with mesothelioma after years of prolonged exposure to asbestos, you could be entitled to receive compensation for your damages through an asbestos exposure claim. Your damages might include your medical bills and your diminished quality of life because of the condition – these damages can easily become overwhelming and expensive.

Not all mesothelioma patients are entitled to recover compensation. You are only entitled to receive compensation for your mesothelioma-related damages if you can demonstrate that another party was responsible for your exposure to a dangerous amount of asbestos. This could be because the company knew about the dangers of asbestos, yet concealed these dangers from workers; that the company failed to provide workers with sufficient safety equipment for handling asbestos and products that contained asbestos; or that the company failed to safely wrap the asbestos insulation in the workplace or failed to remove crumbling asbestos products, exposing workers to the dangerous mineral. No matter how your company caused your mesothelioma exposure to asbestos, you will need to demonstrate the facts.

That is where an experienced mesothelioma attorney enters into the equation. Although you can file an asbestos exposure claim to seek compensation for your damages, it is advisable to work with a knowledgeable, compassionate attorney who can guide you through this process. There are many pitfalls a claimant can fall prey to during the asbestos exposure claim process. Working with a lawyer can help you avoid these pitfalls.

Mesothelioma lawyers have specialized experience representing clients suffering from this type of cancer. Your lawyer uses their extensive experience to help you navigate the process in the following ways:

• Your lawyer can find out if your former employer or its purchaser established a trust fund for the specific purpose of compensation to mesothelioma victims and if so, can help you access it;
• Your lawyer can determine whether any settlement you are offered is a fair amount for your needs;
• Your lawyer can ensure that you do not unintentionally invalidate your claim. Making sure that the claim follows all required procedures and that there are no missed deadlines. (In California, the statute of limitations for asbestos exposure claims is either one year from the date that the victim knew or should have known that his or her condition was caused by exposure to asbestos or one year from the date that he or she first suffered a disability due to the condition, whichever comes later);
• Your lawyer can help you obtain the necessary evidence to support your claim, such as testimony from an expert witness or documentation showing that you worked at your former company during a specific time frame; and
• Your lawyer can negotiate with other parties, such as representatives of your former company, on your behalf to help you secure the settlement amount you need.

After you have been diagnosed with mesothelioma, take the time to find a compassionate lawyer you can trust to represent you. Your needs are different from other clients’ needs, so be sure to work with a lawyer who has specialized experience representing clients suffering from mesothelioma.

Work with a lawyer whose office responds to your inquiries in a timely manner. If you find that your calls or emails are not being answered, you cannot trust that firm to communicate with you as your claim progresses. You should also work with a lawyer who has a record of recovering compensation for mesothelioma patients – although past success does not guarantee that your claim will have the same result, your lawyer should be able to demonstrate successfully recovered compensation for previous clients. In fact, your lawyer should not guarantee any specific result for your case. Even the most successful lawyers cannot guarantee a result.

The video below explains how you can choose a compassionate mesothelioma attorney to represent your case.

Hello, I’m Ed Smith. I am a Mesothelioma lawyer in Sacramento. If you or a loved one has received a mesothelioma diagnosis, or if you’ve recently lost someone you love to this disease, please call me at 916.921.6400 for free, friendly advice. Or, reach out to me through this online contact form.

We are members of the Million Dollar Advocates Forum and the National Association of Distinguished Counsel.

Learn more about us. See our past verdicts and settlements and client reviews on Avvo, Yelp, Google.

Photo by Matthias Zomer from Pexels

Editor’s Note: This page has been updated for accuracy and relevancy [cha 11.8.19]