Florida Mesothelioma Lawyers
Asbestos exposure can cause mesothelioma, lung cancer, and potentially disabling chronic lung diseases. People in Florida may have been exposed to asbestos due to their work in various industries, including shipbuilding, power generation, phosphate mining, and the aerospace industry. Those who have been harmed by asbestos due to a corporation’s negligence can seek compensation in a variety of ways. A Florida mesothelioma lawyer can help you learn more.
Expertise
Mr. Wasserberg is proud to call himself a Trial Lawyer. He is often a featured speaker at industry summits and gatherings of the nation’s leading attorneys, from both sides of the bar. He is recognized by both his peers and his adversaries and is considered one of the nation’s premier mesothelioma and negligence attorneys
Content written by Dan Wasserberg
- Expertise
Mr. Wasserberg is proud to call himself a Trial Lawyer. He is often a featured speaker at industry summits and gatherings of the nation’s leading attorneys, from both sides of the bar. He is recognized by both his peers and his adversaries and is considered one of the nation’s premier mesothelioma and negligence attorneys
Experienced Mesothelioma Attorney
Quick Links
- Why You Need a Mesothelioma Lawyer
- Our Florida Mesothelioma Settlements
- Florida Mesothelioma Lawsuit Statute of Limitations
- Florida Asbestos Laws and Regulations
- Types of Compensation Available for Mesothelioma
- Known Asbestos Sites in Florida
- Contact Florida Mesothelioma Lawyers at Meirowitz & Wasserberg Today
Mesothelioma is an aggressive type of cancer that is caused by exposure to asbestos, a mineral that was widely used for decades in a variety of military and industrial applications. Asbestos can be a very useful mineral because it’s highly resistant to fire, heat, and chemical degradation, but it’s also extremely dangerous to human health. Exposure to asbestos is known to cause a variety of diseases, including:
- Mesothelioma
- Lung cancer
- Colon cancer
- Asbestosis
- Pleural disease
What Causes Mesothelioma?
Although asbestos can occur naturally in the environment, the most common way to be exposed to dangerous levels of this mineral is in the workplace. Workers might be at risk if they worked in certain industries like shipbuilding, phosphate mining, and power generation. Their families may also be at risk because microscopic asbestos fibers can travel home on a person’s hair, skin, or clothing.
There are a variety of places in Florida where tradesmen and other people can be exposed to asbestos.
First, residential exposures include asbestos found in floor tiles, ceiling tiles, roofing, siding, and joint compound on drywall at the seams.
Additionally, there are major job sites in Florida where people have been exposed to asbestos. These include Florida Power and Light plants, naval shipyards like those in Port, where Navy personnel have been exposed, and nuclear power plants like Turkey Point.
There are many different types of job sites, both commercial and residential, where someone could be exposed to asbestos in Florida.
Mesothelioma Latency Period
These diseases have a very long latency period, meaning they take many years to develop. Mesothelioma commonly occurs 20 to 40 years after exposure to asbestos, and it can be even longer in some cases. Many people who experienced asbestos exposure decades ago are now developing asbestos-related diseases. The average age for a diagnosis of pleural mesothelioma is 72.
Why You Need a Mesothelioma Lawyer
When facing a mesothelioma diagnosis, you and your family may feel overwhelmed by medical decisions, difficult prognoses, and mounting financial costs. Working with an experienced Florida mesothelioma attorney gives you time to focus on recovery and family while your attorney focuses on pursuing justice and compensation.
“We can guide you and help you navigate what must be and is the most difficult and troubling time of your life,” said Bonnie Steinwolf, attorney for Meirowitz & Wasserberg. “While you concentrate on your health, we concentrate on your case.”
With offices in Naples and Fort Lauderdale, Meirowitz & Wasserberg’s Florida mesothelioma attorneys have the local knowledge and legal skill to take on your case so you can focus on treatment and healing.
How To File a Mesothelioma Lawsuit in Florida
The process of filing a mesothelioma lawsuit can be complex. In general, there are two main types of lawsuits that may be filed in mesothelioma cases. A personal injury lawsuit is filed by a person who was diagnosed with mesothelioma after being exposed to asbestos, while a wrongful death lawsuit is filed by the deceased person’s surviving family members.
A mesothelioma lawyer will be involved in every step of taking your case through the legal system. This includes handling a number of tasks, including:
- Investigation: We have access to databases that allow us to thoroughly investigate your workplace and residential history to determine all possible sources of asbestos exposure.
- Gathering evidence: This may include finding expert witnesses and collecting all your medical records.
- Filing legal documents: We will handle all of the legal paperwork necessary to draft your lawsuit and file it in the appropriate court.
- Representation: Our attorneys will represent you at hearings related to your case and at trial if necessary.
- Negotiations: We will conduct settlement negotiations and manage correspondence with any companies involved in your case, including insurance companies.
Once you’ve hired our law firm, we will send a lawyer out to meet with you. The lawyer will try to figure out every possible way that you were exposed to asbestos. You may have been exposed to asbestos during work, from a hobby, or you may have been exposed to asbestos in a way that you never even could have come up with and figure it out on your own.
What we do is put together all the different sources of exposure. We figure out who all of the responsible parties are and will file a lawsuit for you in New York City. The New York City asbestos litigation is not just Manhattan, the New York City asbestos litigation is all five boroughs: Bronx, Queens, Brooklyn, Staten Island, and Manhattan.
Our Florida Mesothelioma Settlements
Our Florida mesothelioma attorneys have a proven track record of success. We’ve won millions in mesothelioma compensation for our clients. Some of our most notable successes include:
- $32,000,000+ asbestos exposure verdict after a trial involving secondhand exposure claims. Jurors assigned liability to both premises defendant Kraft Heinz and contractor defendant Metal Masters Inc.
- $5,100,000+ mesothelioma settlement for a Navy machinist’s mate who went on to be a civilian maintenance mechanic and contracted mesothelioma due to asbestos exposure
- $4,000,000+ mesothelioma settlement for a Puerto Rican sugar mill mechanic and laboratory equipment engineer who contracted mesothelioma from asbestos exposure; this case was initially declined by another law firm specializing in asbestos litigation.
- $3,400,000+ mesothelioma settlement for a Navy boiler tender who went on to be a boiler-room operator and contracted mesothelioma, but was unable to testify on his own behalf
- $3,150,000+ mesothelioma settlement for a painter/taper diagnosed with mesothelioma who had exposure to a limited number of asbestos-containing building and construction products
- $2,300,000+ mesothelioma settlement for a school custodian who contracted mesothelioma but was unable to identify the manufacturers of the products containing asbestos installed in the school
We’ve also had success with other asbestos-related disease cases, including those related to asbestos-related lung cancer, the chronic lung disease asbestosis, and pleural disease.
Florida Mesothelioma Lawsuit Statute of Limitations
Every state has a law known as the statute of limitations. This governs how long you have to file a lawsuit after an injury or a death. In Florida, the statute of limitations is generally four years for personal injury claims and two years for wrongful death claims. However, certain factors, such as the date of discovery or the identity of the liable party, may affect this timeline. A mesothelioma attorney can determine the exact filing deadline based on your case. This is how long you have to file after a mesothelioma diagnosis or a death.
An attorney can determine how the statute of limitations applies in your specific case. It’s important to be aware that you don’t have an unlimited period of time after a diagnosis or a death to file a claim. Contact an attorney as soon as possible to learn more about your legal options. If you wait too long, you may lose your opportunity to seek the compensation you deserve.
Florida Asbestos Laws and Regulations
While there are certain federal laws that govern the use of asbestos, state laws also govern the use of this mineral within each state. State laws can also have an impact on asbestos litigation proceedings. For example, Florida state law sets a relatively high standard of proof in asbestos-related disease cases. This requires a mesothelioma lawyer to do some extra work to ensure that adequate documentation is provided to meet the required standards.
Types of Compensation Available for Mesothelioma
Depending on the specifics of the situation, people in Florida who were exposed to asbestos may be able to receive compensation in a few different ways.
People who were exposed to asbestos as part of their military service may be eligible to file a claim with the Veterans Administration (VA). Those who were involved in activities like shipbuilding in the Naval facilities along the Florida coast have a high likelihood of having been exposed. Filing a successful claim with the VA can provide monthly benefits and medical care.
Florida residents with mesothelioma can also file a personal injury lawsuit. This may name one or more corporations that contributed to causing the person’s cancer. People who have lost a loved one due to mesothelioma can file a wrongful death lawsuit; again, this can name one or more corporations that contributed to causing the death. Compensation in a mesothelioma lawsuit may include:
- Economic damages, such as past and future medical bills, lost wages, lost earning potential, and funeral expenses.
- Non-economic damages, such as physical and emotional pain and suffering, loss of quality of life, and loss of consortium (the loss of one’s life partner).
Florida Asbestos Trust Funds
An asbestos trust fund is established when a corporation undergoes bankruptcy. Trust funds aim to ensure that funds are available to anyone who later files an asbestos-related claim against the company. Because mesothelioma takes many decades to develop after asbestos exposure, a corporation that goes bankrupt may still owe compensation to many people it has harmed. A trust fund helps protect people from being denied the compensation they deserve because the corporation that caused their disease has now gone bankrupt.
To receive money from an asbestos trust fund, a person must file a claim with the fund. This requires quite a bit of paperwork, and getting the details right is important to be successful. If we determine that you’re eligible to receive money from an asbestos trust fund, our mesothelioma attorneys can help you file your claim.
Who Is Eligible To Access Asbestos Trust Funds?
Anyone who has developed an asbestos-related disease due to the actions of a company may be eligible to receive compensation from that company’s asbestos trust fund. This could include:
- People who worked for the company and were exposed to asbestos.
- People who used the company’s products and were exposed to asbestos.
- Family members of a worker who developed an asbestos-related disease due to secondary asbestos exposure.
- People who were exposed to asbestos through the environment due to the corporation’s actions (such as those who live near an asbestos mine).
- The heirs of a person who died of asbestos-related disease, which was caused in any of the above ways.
Known Asbestos Sites in Florida
Asbestos does not naturally occur anywhere in Florida, and the US Geological Survey has not found any asbestos mines or sites of natural exposure in the state. Despite this fact, a study published in 2015 in the International Journal of Occupational Health found that Florida was among the five states with the greatest number of mesothelioma cases. This is because asbestos has historically been shipped to Florida for various industrial and military applications.
Industries in Florida Known for Asbestos Exposure
A number of industries that are important to Florida’s economy have also historically carried a high risk of exposure to asbestos. If you worked in one of these industries, or if you lived with someone who did, then you may be at an increased risk for asbestos-related disease.
- Shipyards: Florida’s extensive coastline makes it ideal for this activity. Both military and industrial shipyards, including the Mayport Naval Station, Pensacola Navy Yard, Atlantic Dry Dock, Hendry Corporation, and Tampa Bay Shipbuilding, are known sites of asbestos exposure.
- Power generation: Asbestos was considered ideal for use in power plants because it could resist fire and chemical corrosion. Many different power plants are known to have exposed workers to asbestos, including Big Bear Powerhouse, Crist Power Plant, St. Lucie Nuclear Power Plant, Lakeland Light, Vero Beach Municipal Power Plant, Florida Power and Light, and more. We have a complete database of power plants that are known sites of asbestos exposure, and we can search it to determine whether your job caused you to be exposed to asbestos.
- Phosphate mining: Asbestos-containing products are commonly used in this industry. Mulberry Phosphate Mine is a major known site of exposure.
- Chemical processing: Because it can resist chemical breakdown, asbestos is commonly used in this industry. The DuPont chemical plant is a known source of asbestos exposure.
- The aerospace industry: NASA used asbestos for fireproofing equipment, particularly for the space shuttle.
In addition, asbestos is found in many homes and office buildings throughout the state. People who work in building construction, maintenance, or demolition, including specialist workers like plumbers and electricians, may be at risk for asbestos exposure.
Contact Florida Mesothelioma Lawyers at Meirowitz & Wasserberg Today
If you developed an asbestos-related disease like mesothelioma or have lost a loved one to this disease, then you deserve justice. It’s important to choose an experienced mesothelioma attorney to handle your case. Certain details can make a significant difference in these cases, and it also takes great skill to negotiate with corporations. A lawyer with experience in this field of law will give you the best chance of successfully recovering all the compensation you deserve.
Our mission is to fight for justice for every client. We have a proven track record of success in mesothelioma cases. Contact our mesothelioma lawyers today for a no-obligation consultation to discuss your case. You won’t be charged any legal fees for talking with us; our firm works on a contingency basis, meaning we only get paid from your settlement or verdict award. We simply want to learn more about your situation, so we can help you to decide whether taking legal action is right for you. Contact us right away to get the process started.
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