Asbestos in the news: Legal battle threatens compensation rights

A legal battle which could threaten compensation for future sufferers of potentially fatal asbestos diseases has just begun, reported the North West Evening Mail of Scotland on June 3, 2008.

Reportedly, insurance firms are claiming that responsibility for compensation payments to those with a mesothelioma diagnosis should be triggered when it is diagnosed and not when the victims were first exposed to asbestos in the workplace decades earlier.

If the insurance companies win this, the ruling could leave new victims of slow to develop mesothelioma – who can currently get compensated for them and their families – with no one to sue for compensation.

Many of those diagnosed with mesothelioma only live for a year after diagnosis.

From shipfitters, pipefitters and demolition workers, to those toiling on railroads and in construction, Weitz & Luxenberg has many clients whose needless and entirely avoidable exposure to asbestos ultimately led to them developing asbestos-related diseases.

Weitz & Luxenberg is a leading plaintiffs' law firm that has represented people affected by mesothelioma for over 20 years. Men and women diagnosed with mesothelioma or lung cancer caused by asbestos 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, please complete the form on this page, and a representative of our law firm will contact you as soon as possible.