Asbestos Mesothelioma Lawyer Interviews

New York, NY: A former D-Day Veteran's family recently settled an asbestos lawsuit—the defendant admitted "a breach of duty of care." In 2008, just two weeks after Ken Hoggett was diagnosed with mesothelioma, he succumbed to the disease. Many victims of asbestos-related disease can wait years to reach a settlement; many of them have passed away before their day in court, leaving their families to soldier on. LawyersandSettlements asked attorney Steve Knowlton of Locks Law Firm why asbestos victims have to wait so long to litigate.

Chicago, IL: Attorney Michael Angelides believes that there is no foreseeable end to the number of victims of mesothelioma, a rare but always fatal disease caused by exposure to asbestos that fills the lungs with tumors and essentially suffocates its victims.

Edwardsville, IL: Before attending law school and working at Goldenberg Heller Antognoli & Rowland, PC, one of the foremost asbestos litigation firms in the US, attorney R.J. Abernathy was a union laborer for more than 20 years. "I worked in construction from 1983 until I went to law school," says Abernathy. "My father died of asbestos-related lung cancer and then my uncle was diagnosed with mesothelioma. I wanted to help others in some way and wound up in asbestos litigation."

Edwardsville, IL: Robert Rowland and the law firm Goldenberg Heller Antognoli & Rowland have more than 25 years experience handling asbestos claims. "We recently obtained Vioxx and Celebrex settlements for our clients in excess of $7 million, as well as over $7.8 million in settlements for Illinois Coal Miners in claims against respirator manufacturers," says Rowland. "And since 2008 we have filed about 250 asbestos cases."

Mt. Pleasant, SC: Every year, thousands of hard-working Americans find that workplace exposure to tiny, odorless, invisible particles of asbestos has caused their chests to fill with malignant tumors that literally squeeze the last breath from their body. "It is a painful death," says attorney Anne Kearse. "And there is no safe level of asbestos exposure, as many people can tell you."

Beverly Hills, CA: Asbestos mesothelioma is a devastating and fatal form of cancer caused by exposure to asbestos fibers. Research by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) shows that the number of deaths from asbestos mesothelioma has increased during the last 10 years.

Denver, CO: It's unfathomable that anyone in America would knowingly endanger the lives of others for sheer profit. But attorney Charles Torres says that Bascom Group, a company that purchases and renovates depressed apartment complexes, needlessly exposed the residents of Highline Terrace to asbestos. "Their intentional actions were outrageous," said Torres, whose firm represents the Plaintiffs--105 residents.

New York, NY: Attorney Joe Belluck regularly represents workers with mesothelioma, a fatal disease found primarily in workers who have been exposed to asbestos on the job. "We have represented many sheet metal workers and it is clear, both anecdotally and now through scientific data, they have an increased risk of dying from mesothelioma," says Belluck from his office in New York.

Novato, CA: From initial diagnosis to death, on average, mesothelioma patients live just 18 months. It means that many of attorney James Nevin's clients do not live to see their cases resolved and their families are left to fight the battle against the companies and the mines that produced millions of tonnes of asbestos that made its way into factories and shipyards and eventually into the lungs of American workers.

Kansas City, MO: Attorney Michael Hodges of Hodges Law Firm, based in Kansas City, is involved with a group of lawyers who concentrate exclusively on representing people in asbestos litigation. "We represent people across the US who have developed asbestos-related cancer," says Hodges.