Texas Asbestos Lawsuit History
Asbestos lawsuits have led to the bankruptcies of a number of businesses. A mesothelioma lawyer can help you get compensation.
Experts in the field of health have warned for decades about the dangers of exposure to asbestos. But, some industry leaders minimized the risks. As time passed increasing numbers of people fell ill with asbestos-related ailments.
The Third Case
Asbestos lawsuits began to take off in the 1970s after scientific studies started to link asbestos to serious illnesses like mesothelioma or asbestosis. Because these diseases often don't manifest until years after exposure, hundreds of thousands of lawsuits were filed. Many of these claims were filed in Texas, where favorable laws made it a preferred venue for this litigation inferno.
One of the most significant cases that shaped asbestos litigation involved Johns Manville, the leading producer of asbestos-related products during the 1940s and 1950s. In the 1980s, it was discovered that Lewis Brown, the CEO of the company, put profits above the safety and health of his employees. Deposition testimony revealed that Brown was heavily influenced his company's chief medical advisor Dr. Russell Budd. Budd was an expert in his field who was known for his indifference to the health of workers.
Johns Manville was found to have known about asbestos's dangers however, they did not take any steps to protect their employees. The court class action asbestos found that the company is responsible for any damages that occur if employees later develop mesothelioma or any other asbestos-related illness. The court also found that the company was liable for damages to the families of deceased employees.
After the decision in Borel many asbestos victims and their families sought compensation from the companies that used this material. Unfortunately, the majority of these claims were rejected for a variety of reasons. Certain cases were allowed be heard, and the courts developed guidelines for the handling of asbestos-related lawsuits.
In the 1990s asbestos defendants continued to seek legal rulings to limit their liability. For example they wanted to argue that asbestos materials were not part of their product and therefore shouldn't be held accountable for injuries to people who worked with them. The claims were not successful, and the U.S. Supreme Court refused to accept the "asbestos product" defense.
Federal and state laws protect mesothelioma patients' rights. patient to seek compensation for their condition from the parties accountable in a particular case. However insurance companies continue to combat these claims with a hammer and a sledgehammer.