Our law firm has helped thousands receive asbestos lawsuit settlements to compensate for health problems.

Asbestos lawsuit settlements in the news: The Environmental Protection Agency and the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Connecticut have reached a settlement for alleged violations of the federal Clean Air Act due to improper removal and disposal of asbestos.

The settlement requires two companies to pay a fine of $300,000 for the violations.

The violations occurred in the spring and summer of 2002 during renovations at 116 Crown Street in New Haven. The property was a vacant, commercial property dating back to the late 1800's.

Cutting Edge Concepts, the owner of the property, hired Anderson Wilcox, a construction company, who in turn retained a subcontractor to remove debris and perform construction/renovation work at the 19,500 square foot masonry structure.

Despite being aware of the likelihood that asbestos was present throughout the basement of the building, the two companies failed to conduct any bulk sampling of suspected material to confirm the presence of asbestos. Nor did they follow proper procedures for the safe removal and disposal of asbestos.

Instead, the companies instructed the subcontractor to remove suspected asbestos-containing materials and debris from the basement and dispose of them in standard trash dumpsters, potentially putting workers and the public at risk.

The subcontractor was also directed to remove other building components, including a large amount of vinyl floor tiles from the upper floors that were believed to contain asbestos and to dispose of them in the same open-topped dumpsters located outside the building.

The companies failed to ensure that these tiles and at least 20 bags of asbestos-containing pipe lagging from the basement were kept wet, as required by regulation to prevent asbestos fibers from becoming airborne.

Breathing asbestos fibers can cause lung cancer, asbestosis, and mesothelioma, a cancer of the lining of the chest and the abdominal cavity.

It is important for developers and construction companies to have trained inspectors perform thorough asbestos inspections prior to conducting renovation or demolition work to ensure that adequate measures are taken to protect the health of on-site workers and the general public.

Many construction workers have come forward to say their work or home environment led to a diagnosis of mesothelioma, asbestosis, lung cancer or another one of the cancers associated with asbestos.

If this has been your experience, our asbestos lawyers may be able to help you receive compensation for your health problems in an asbestos lawsuit settlement.

For over two decades, Weitz & Luxenberg P.C. has handled some of the most legally complicated and groundbreaking asbestos litigation in the country, winning many millions of dollars in verdicts and settlements along the way.

Men and women diagnosed with mesothelioma or lung cancer caused by asbestos exposure or secondary exposure may be entitled to compensation from the companies responsible for their disease.

If you would like a free consultation or more information about your legal options for a settlement, please complete the form on this page, and a representative of our law firm will contact you as soon as possible.