Mesothelioma

Question: What are the chances of winning a mesothelioma lawsuit?

(Posted by: raemcc92 on 2009-03-28 08:06:20)

My father- in- law was recently diagnosed with mesothelioma. He is a disabled vet on a limited income. The life expectancy is only 4- 18 months. He and my mother- in- law have filed a lawsuit against the asbestos manufacturer. The concern is that they have very little money and without compensation we are afraid that my mother- in- law will lose their house when he passes. Does anyone have experience with this? Thanks for answering. The lawyer says that because he has the disease that we have a good case. Mesothelioma is caused almost exclusively by asbestos exposure. We have filed the suit against the manufacturer because we believe that he was exposed while working in the boiler room while in the army and suing the army just isn't an option. The lawyer we have retained has been involved with thousands of these cases. He has given us examples of awards won by his law firm, but I want to know what the chances are of not winning.

Posted by: april on 2009-03-28, 08:42:24

Lawsuits like that take years to even get to court. The companies have big time lawyers, much more than the average person can afford. I see commercials on tv all the time about a class action lawsuit against the manufacturer, so that hasn't even come to fruition yet. Like I said, years.

Posted by: Messykatttt on 2009-03-28, 16:02:58

Can I ask what his lawyer has said? I'd think the lawyer would know, and also would know whether it's best to file singly or as a class action. And, of course, a lot depends on where your father-in-law was exposed to the asbestos and how long ago that was. Some of this can be difficult to prove, since it was very common at one time and he'd have to prove that whoever he's suing is the source of the cancer. So I'd wonder why the manufacturer is being sued, rather than the place where he was exposed to it. My best advice is to make sure he has a good attorney. Tort cases usually base fees on contingency, so he shouldn't have to spend any of his own money, but for something this important make sure the attorney knows what he's doing.