Maritime Claims

Asbestos Claims / Mesothelioma Claims / Maritime Claims

Maritime Claims for Asbestos Exposure

Asbestos was widely used in ships and shipyards for many decades.

If you or your loved one was exposed to asbestos, speak to a healthcare professional about getting tested for respiratory illnesses associated with asbestos exposure.

And if you have been diagnosed with an asbestos-related illness, you may be entitled to compensation under the Jones Act and other legal protections for mariners and offshore workers harmed by asbestos exposure.

Many mariners were exposed to the most dangerous forms of asbestos.

Until 1980, most ships were built with a great deal of asbestos.

Asbestos has remarkable qualities, including:

  • Low electrical conductivity
  • Insolubility in water
  • Resistance to heat
  • Durability, and the ability to fortify other materials
  • Resistance to acid and alkali
  • A fibrous nature that allows it to be woven like cloth or sprayed

Ships are built to be fire resistant.

So asbestos was used in everything from engine rooms to cabin walls to insulation on plumbing and electrical.

Hundreds of thousands of seamen and offshore workers that worked on sailing vessels of all kinds were exposed to asbestos built into the ships.

Ships were insulated and reinforced with blue asbestos and brown asbestos, which pose the biggest health risks.

Some forms of asbestos are less risky, because they aren’t broken into asbestos fibers (called friable asbestos).

Asbestos is most dangerous when it is broken into tiny asbestos fibers that can be inhaled or swallowed.

Two of the most friable kinds of asbestos are blue asbestos (crocidolite) and brown asbestos (amosite). Blue and brown asbestos are also two of the most dangerous.

Microscopic asbestos fibers have no taste or smell, and people do not always know that they have breathed it in or swallowed it.

But asbestos fibers latch onto the lung and pleura (the membranes surrounding the lung and ribs). They are durable, and do not dissolve.

Over time, the embedded asbestos fibers cause significant damage and scarring, which can lead to asbestos-related illnesses, including cancers like mesothelioma.

Blue and brown asbestos were used extensively on ships. Anyone who worked on ships or in shipyards may be at risk.

If you or your loved one was exposed to asbestos, speak to a healthcare professional about getting tested for respiratory illnesses associated with asbestos exposure.

The Merchant Marine Act of 1920, more commonly known as the Jones Act, is a U.S. federal law that protects sailors and offshore workers. It is based on the federal legal protections given to railroad workers who are hurt on the job.

The Jones Act includes many different legal protections for sailors and others that work offshore.

Negligence is the legal word for carelessness. Under the Jones Act, seamen and offshore workers who are injured on the job because of the captain or another crew member’s negligence can file a lawsuit against their employer.

One way to avoid negligence (carelessness) is to warn people about a risk of danger. For example, containers with explosive materials have warning labels advising people to use caution when moving them.

For five decades, the asbestos industry hid the dangers of asbestos exposure. They did not warn hundreds of thousands of seamen and offshore workers that they were breathing harmful asbestos. In fact, in many cases the asbestos industry specifically told seamen that asbestos exposure was harmless.

Who is eligible to sue under the Jones Act?

Any worker who spends at least 30 percent of their time in service of a vessel on navigable waters can sue in state or federal court.

What is the statute of limitations under the Jones Act?

Under the Jones Act, an injured seaman or offshore worker must file a lawsuit no more than three years from the time the accident occurred.

However, asbestos-related illnesses can take decades to develop and appear. In these cases, the injured employee usually has three years from the time the employee became aware of the injury.

Offshore Workers and Asbestos Exposure under the Jones Act

Even offshore workers who did not serve on a ship were exposed to asbestos built into oil rigs and other shipping facilities operating in the 1960s, 70s and 80s.

Asbestos Drilling Fluid / Drilling Mud

Geological drilling like offshore oil wells uses a drilling fluid (also called “drilling mud”) to reduce friction and damage by heat. Asbestos is highly heat and friction resistant. So in the 1960s, companies started manufacturing drilling mud containing asbestos fibers. It was used to explore and drill on many offshore oil rigs, including in the Gulf of Mexico.

Asbestos drilling mud contains extremely small asbestos fibers.2 The asbestos drilling mud bags often broke allowing the dust to escape. Offshore workers who worked with or cleaned the asbestos drilling mud inhaled the tiny asbestos fibers, potentially causing asbestos-related illnesses.3

Asbestos mud was used during the 1960s, 70s and 80s.

If you have health problems related to your occupational asbestos exposure, there are other sources of compensation you may be entitled to receive. These include:

Asbestos Bankruptcy Trust Claims

Asbestos manufacturers knew since the 1930s that breathing in asbestos-caused health problems. But instead of warning their employees that asbestos could cause health problems, the asbestos industry kept it secret from the public.

As the truth started coming out in the 1970s, courts wanted to make sure that the companies would have enough money to pay for all people who might develop asbestos-related health problems.

So the asbestos companies were ordered to place their insurance money into special bank accounts called trusts.

There are approximately $30 billion dollars sitting unclaimed in asbestos trust funds.

Under a court order, this money is set aside only for individuals who were injured by asbestos exposure.

Contact an asbestos claims attorney at the Law Offices of Justinian C. Lane, Esq. – PLLC to see if you qualify. We offer an entirely free consultation with an asbestos claims lawyer, with no obligation. Call, text or email and we can explain your options.

Asbestos Litigation

Negligence and the failure to warn. If a person does not know something is risky, the person will not know to avoid it. That is why the law requires a company or person who creates a danger to warn others who might be injured.

For decades, the asbestos industry and its insurers knew of the dangers caused by their product, but did not add warning labels for employees and consumers.

That is why the law holds them accountable under civil law. Employees and others harmed by asbestos exposure can file a lawsuit and often recover money for injuries including:

  • Healthcare costs (hospital bills, ongoing care)
  • Missed work (lost wages and opportunities)
  • Pain and suffering (physical pain and mental anguish, including fear of developing cancer)

Wrongful death. In addition, children and spouses of people who died as a result of mesothelioma or other asbestos-related illnesses can seek compensation for injuries including their loss of the family member’s support and companionship.

In asbestos claim lawsuits, victims can often also receive punitive damages. These are large money awards designed to punish the asbestos industry for its deception.

Asbestos Claims

In fact, lawsuits against the asbestos industry are often settled out of court, because the asbestos manufacturers know the facts against them are so damning.

 Asbestos Claims

Many of our clients have received financial compensation for painful and even fatal asbestos-related health problems from:

  • Asbestos mining companies
  • Asbestos manufacturers
  • Asbestos distributors
  • Asbestos company insurers

However, there are laws known as statutes of limitation that limit how much time you have to file a lawsuit after being injured.

Speak to an asbestos claims attorney to help understand your deadlines and how to file a lawsuit for wrongful death by asbestos.

Justinian Means Justice.

Even a small exposure to asbestos can cause a range of health problems decades later. These illnesses can include asbestosis, pleural plaques, mesothelioma and other cancers.

In addition to healthcare bills, asbestos-related illnesses can lead to lost wages, an inability to work, disabilities, a degraded quality of life and even a fatality.

But under state and federal laws, people harmed by asbestos exposure are often entitled to compensation for their injuries.

In many cases, they do not even need to file a lawsuit.

Even regular cigarette smokers who developed lung cancer can often recover money if asbestos exposure made their health problems worse.

If you or your loved one was exposed to asbestos, speak to a healthcare professional about getting tested for respiratory illnesses associated with asbestos exposure.

And if you have an asbestos-related illness and are considering filing a lawsuit against the asbestos industry for your injuries, speak to a seasoned asbestos claims attorney at the law offices of Justinian C. Lane, Esq. – PLLC

We use a comprehensive database of asbestos industry info and cutting edge medical research to gather all the evidence needed to prove your case.

In two decades of representing clients harmed by asbestos, we have built a database of:

  • All the worksites and products that contained asbestos.
  • All available scientific research into the health effects of asbestos.

We leave no stone unturned to show that how you were exposed to and harmed by asbestos.

Our archival database has virtually all available information on asbestos use and its health effects. We can conduct a search of your workplace or illness.

If you or your loved one was exposed to asbestos, speak to a healthcare professional about getting tested for respiratory illnesses associated with asbestos exposure.

And if you have been diagnosed with an asbestos-related illness, you can speak with an asbestos injury attorney at the law offices of Justinian C. Lane, Esq. – PLLC to discuss your options.

We can set up a consultation in person, by phone, or video conference – whatever makes you most comfortable. I will listen to your story and explain all your options, including a reasonable estimate of how much compensation you are likely to receive from the asbestos trusts based on your story.

We have the resources available to litigate asbestos cases against the largest companies in the world. We have battled bullies and earned millions of dollars in compensation for clients that were injured by asbestos.

Every case is different, but we are driven by a sense of justice, and aim to deliver justice for our clients, whatever that means for them.

My grandfather was first exposed to asbestos driving naval landing vehicles as a service member during WWII. My own family was affected by the deceptions and carelessness of the asbestos industry. And my team and I are ready to go toe-to-toe with any company that manufactured, sold, installed, or removed asbestos products without providing proper protection to our clients.

We do not accept defeat. Unless we get you money for your injuries, you don’t pay us a dime.

Your Rights Can Be Lost If You Wait

There are laws that limit how much time you have to file a lawsuit after being injured. They are known as statutes of limitation.

Most statutes will begin to run from the date of injury.

That means the “ticking clock” starts the day that you were diagnosed with an asbestos-related illness. If you are filing a wrongful death claim, the statute of limitation usually dies on the date that the loved one passed away.

Do not wait to find out when your claim begins.

If you believe you are entitled to compensation for your asbestos-related illness, call, text or email the Law Offices of Justinian C. Lane, Esq. – PLLC to understand your rights.

No matter what, there is no fee for a consultation, and no obligation.

If you were harmed by asbestos exposure, the industry has set up trust funds worth more than $30 billion to help pay for your healthcare bills, treatment travel costs, potential funeral costs, and support your family.

And it will cost you nothing to file a claim.

At AsbestosClaims.Law, we’ve helped thousands of people who were exposed to asbestos in their job, car or at home.

Can we help you?
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2 Asbestos: Geology, Mineralogy, Mining, and Uses, Robert L. Virta, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY (2002).
3 Pulmonary adenocarcinoma with epidermal growth factor receptor‐mutations in asbestos exposed non‐smokers: A case series, Richard L. Kradin MD, John Iafrate MD, PhD, and David C. Christiani MD, MPH, American Journal of Industrial Medicine (2017).