ASBESTOS LAWSUITS ARE NOT FRIVOLOUS
Whenever we are selecting a jury in our asbestos-injury cases we hear from the majority of the juror candidates that they believe there are “too many lawsuits today” and that too many of these lawsuits are “frivolous.” The legal definition of frivolous is “of little weight or importance.” The average person’s usage of the term is a bit harsher, connoting bogus, phony or without merit.
Under either definition, the asbestos lawsuits we bring on behalf of our clients suffering from asbestos-related illnesses are not frivolous. The people we represent have been diagnosed with serious asbestos-related illnesses that are incurable, progressive and often fatal.
Asbestosis is a scarring of the lung tissue that results in lung stiffening and restriction. The cause of asbestosis is exposure to asbestos. While not a cancerous condition, asbestosis deprives a person of the ability to take in enough oxygen when needed. The effects are most pronounced with exertion. Clients often first notice shortness of breath when doing activities they previously were able to do with no problem, such as climbing a ladder or stairs, mowing the lawn or walking.
Asbestosis can slowly strip a person of the ability to take a full breath and draw in enough oxygen to conduct regular activities of daily living without becoming short of breath or eventually requiring supplemental oxygen. End-stage asbestosis can disable a person to the point where he cannot walk across the room without becoming short of breath. Asbestosis is a progressive disease. There is no cure for asbestosis.
Mesothelioma is a cancer of the lining of the lung, abdomen or heart. The only established cause of mesothelioma in the United States is prior exposure to asbestos. Mesothelioma has no cure, although there are some treatments that can reduce pain or slow the progression of the cancer.
Mesothelioma often causes the person afflicted to become increasingly fatigued and less able to care for themselves or conduct their regular activities. Our clients with mesothelioma often require assistance in the home as the disease advances. Mesothelioma is invariably fatal.
Our mesothelioma law firm thoroughly investigates the potential sources of exposure to asbestos in order to identify the companies responsible for the asbestos which exposed our clients and caused their incurable disease. Our goal is to obtain a monetary recovery for the loss and damages these companies caused through their defective products or through their negligent actions. The measure of the damages claimed is what the law says such injured persons are entitled to –lost income, medical expenses and pain and suffering.
The lawsuits that we bring on behalf of our clients, therefore, are not of “little weight or importance.” And they are not bogus or phony. We represent real people with real, serious, life-threatening injuries. We seek for our clients what the law allows –the legal remedy of just compensation for the harm they have sustained from the companies that are responsible.
