Clapper, Patti, Schweizer and Mason

You might be surprised to learn that asbestos, a known carcinogen that can cause a fatal form of cancer called Mesothelioma, is still legal for certain uses in the United States. Further, as Dr. Barry Castleman, a respected doctor of science and environmental consultant, reported to the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works [...]

The Jones Act, a federal law that governs maritime commerce and protects the rights of seamen, is originally codified in 1920 as 46 U.S.C. section 688, and later re-codified as U.S.C. Section 3010 in 2006.  The Jones Act provides that a shipowner has a duty to use care to ensure that a seaman has a [...]

Because many of our clients were exposed to asbestos through the course of their employment, or while they were “on the job,” they may chose to pursue a workers compensation claim in addition to the personal injury action we file on their behalf.  While both asbestos workers compensation claims and asbestos personal injury lawsuits may [...]

In 1860 Thomas H. Armstrong, the son of Scots-Irish immigrants from Londonderry, Ireland, joined with John D. Glass to open a one-room shop in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, carving bottle stoppers from cork by hand.  On December 30, 1891, Armstrong World Industries, Inc., incorporated in Pennsylvania by filing articles of incorporation with the Secretary of State.
Armstrong went [...]

Although most asbestos related diseases develop as a result of occupational exposure to asbestos, we have had clients who have developed mesothelioma following exposure to asbestos used in arts and crafts.   In 1980, the Center for Occupational Hazards, Inc., a non-profit group, submitted a report to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission outlining the uses [...]

Owners and higher level employees working for railroad companies knew of the dangers of asbestos as early as 1930, and yet did nothing to warn or protect workers from exposure to the deadly substance until the 1980’s.  Therefore, anyone who ran or repaired locomotives has a high likelihood of exposure to asbestos and runs a [...]

Many companies and corporations that mined, processed, sold or manufactured asbestos and asbestos containing products have had to file for bankruptcy or reorganization.  We recently wrote articles about Congoleum, Garlock, and RPM International, companies that recently have sought or been approved for bankruptcy or reorganization.
RPM has two subsidiaries, Specialty Products Holding Corporation and Bondex International, [...]

Many of our clients who contract mesothelioma were unaware of the hazards of breathing asbestos during the time when they were exposed. Many clients report that they only first heard of the hazards associated with breathing asbestos in the late 1980s or 1990s, through the media, or when someone they knew contracted an asbestos-related disease.
This [...]

Pneumo Abex LLC is a holding company and is what remains of its predecessor, The Abex Corporation. For most of this century, the Abex Corporation has been one of the largest manufacturers and suppliers of asbestos-containing brake lining material utilized on a variety of vehicles from light trucks and cars to railroad trains and just [...]

Several caulking and glazing products contained asbestos between approximately the 1950s and late 1970s.  Asbestos was a fibrous mineral added to many products used in construction because it was affordable, available, and had excellent thermal and insulating properties.  However, asbestos is also carcinogenic, and now known to cause mesothelioma and other serious diseases.
Caulking is a [...]