Texas Asbestos Lawsuit History
Many companies have declared bankruptcy because of the asbestos lawsuits filed by victims. A mesothelioma lawyer can assist you in getting compensation.
Experts in the field of health have warned for years about the dangers asbestos exposure. Industry leaders have minimized these risks. Over time the number of people who fell ill with asbestos-related ailments.
The Third Case
Asbestos litigation began to take off in the 1970s after research studies began to link asbestos with serious diseases like asbestosis and mesothelioma. Tens of thousands of lawsuits were filed as these diseases don't usually show symptoms for decades after exposure. These lawsuits were filed in Texas because of its favorable laws.
One of the most important cases that shaped asbestos litigation involved Johns Manville, the leading producer of asbestos products in the 1940s and 1950s. In the 1980s, it was revealed that Lewis Brown, the CEO of the company, placed company profits before the health and safety of his employees. Bellflower asbestos lawsuit revealed that he was heavily influenced by his company's chief medical advisor Dr. Russell Budd. Budd, a doctor famous for his indifference for the health of employees was a well-known persona.
Johns Manville was found to have known about asbestos' dangers, but did not take any steps to protect their workers. The court ruled that the company is responsible for any damages that occur if employees later develop mesothelioma, or other asbestos-related diseases. The court also ruled that the company was responsible for damages to the families of deceased workers.
After the ruling in Borel, many asbestos victims and their families sought compensation from the companies that made use of asbestos as a material. The majority of these claims were rejected due to a variety of reasons. Certain cases were allowed to continue, and the courts developed a set of guidelines for the handling of asbestos-related suits.
In the 1990s asbestos defendants continued to seek legal rulings to limit their liability. They wanted to to argue that asbestos was not a part of their product, and therefore they shouldn't be held accountable for the injuries suffered by people who worked with asbestos. These arguments were rejected and the U.S. Supreme Court refused to uphold the "asbestos product" defense.
Federal and state laws safeguard the rights of a mesothelioma patient to seek compensation for their illness from the responsible parties in a specific case. However insurance companies continue to fight these claims with a hammer and a sledgehammer.