ASBESTOS REMOVAL
Discovery of asbestos in California courthouse delays renovation

Asbestos removal crews go to work inside California Superior Court buildings in Monterey.

Weitz & Luxenberg has protected the legal rights of asbestos-injured workers since 1986. And in that time the firm's mesothelioma lawyers have won several billion dollars in verdicts and settlements for clients injured by occupational asbestos exposure.

Asbestos in the News

December 15, 2009 - Plans to renovate the east and west wings of the county courthouse buildings in Salinas, California, have been delayed due to the discovery of asbestos inside the older structures.

The danger involved in cleaning and disposing the asbestos materials found inside the Monterey County Superior Court buildings have helped to postpone the project indefinitely.

Funds allocated for renovation, more than $9 million, have been re-allocated for asbestos remediation efforts on the building's north wing. Work on the four-story north wing, with 90,000 square feet of floor space, is likely to be completed by May 2010.

The redesigned wing is projected to be home to all 11 county courtrooms and the Superior Court's administrative and business offices.

Work crews first discovered asbestos materials in the north wing in 2005. Although the asbestos poses little danger when it stays bound in concrete, asbestos poses a serious health threat when fibers become dislodged and airborne during renovation.

Occupational asbestos exposure

Regular inhalation of airborne asbestos fibers can lead to the deadliest of asbestos-related cancers, mesothelioma. Mesothelioma is primarily an occupational disease, usually contracted by workers whose employers fail to protect them from on-the-job hazards.

Industries that place workers most at risk for asbestos exposure include the: automobile, construction, electrical, power plant and shipyard industries.

Government sources estimate that in the next decade more than 35,000 people nationwide will be diagnosed with mesothelioma. The cancer, fatal in every instance, kills approximately 3,000 American workers annually.

Time to seek justice

If you have been diagnosed with mesothelioma and seek a free case review, please notify us through the communication form on this page. We will pursue your claim with vigilance to help you pay for medical bills, lost wages, and suffering.

Please know, the firm works on a contingency basis so there is no cost to you until we obtain a verdict or reach a settlement in your favor.