Understanding US legislation put forth to help the asbestos problem: The Asbestos Workers’ Recovery Act

Since the general public discovered the dangers of asbestos in the late 1970’s, the United States government has been deliberating about how to remedy the issue. One of the bills put forward to help uniformly compensate people like you who developed illnesses from asbestos exposure was the Asbestos Workers’ Recovery Act.

The Asbestos Workers’ Recovery Act has since been rejected Congress, but your right to file a lawsuit against the companies that made you ill remains protected. Weitz & Luxenberg can help you exercise your right. Financial compensation can help cover your medical expenses, and other costs you may have to face when stricken ill with an asbestos-related disease.

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The history surrounding the Asbestos Workers’ Recovery Act

One of the tragedies of the history of asbestos was that most companies knew that asbestos was dangerous and did nothing to protect people from it. Asbestos was used as far back as the mid-1800’s, and by the 1930’s internal studies revealed how dangerous it is. Even the Romans knew how deadly asbestos exposure could be, but the general public had no idea. Studies, internal memos, and other documentation explaining the hazards of asbestos were kept hidden by asbestos companies (EWG).

In the late 1970’s, when the public became of where of what was going on, these companies were, justifiably, flooded with lawsuits.

Congress wanted to take action to protect the best interests of the people, but there was on-going debate on how. In the 1980’s, asbestos legislation such as the Fenwick bill, the Hart bill, and the Miller bill were purposed, but none were passed. The said bills were designed to be in favor of the laborers suffering from the diseases caused by asbestos.

The Asbestos Workers’ Recovery Act

In 1984, the Asbestos Workers’ Recovery Act (also known as the Percy Bill) was purposed as a way to filter out some of the asbestos lawsuits, and better compensate those who needed it. It aimed to compensate people who were disabled by asbestos exposure, and exclude people who suffered from so-called “unimpaired” or “non-malignant” illnesses. The compensation would come from asbestos industries and the US government (UCDavis). Because the bill would relieve absolute financial responsibility for compensation from the asbestos industry, the industry was largely in favor of the bill.

The Asbestos Workers’ Recovery Act was never passed.

Weitz & Luxenberg can help you understand your legal rights today

Weitz & Luxenberg has been helping people such as yourself since 1986. We understand the legal system with regards to your individual case, and can help guide you in the right direction. Weitz & Luxenberg wants to make sure you can receive the compensation that you and your family deserve.

Contact us today for a free consultation. Simply fill out the confidential form on this page and we will contact you within 24 hours.

Sources

EWG: http://www.ewg.org/sites/asbestos/documents/

UCDavis: http://lawreview.law.ucdavis.edu/issues/41-4_Smith.pdf