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Volver al Blog de AsbestosThe minimum burden of proof in an asbestos exposure case is only a preponderancia de la evidencia, or more likely than not. That’s one of the lowest burdens of proof in American law. Note that we said this standard is the “minimum” burden of proof. Usually in life, minimum effort produces minimum results. So, a preponderance of the evidence is sufficient, if the victim is willing to settle for less.
Additionally, evidence is very hard to collect in asbestos exposure cases. The latency period for asbestosis, mesothelioma, and other asbestos exposure illnesses is usually more than fifty years. Over such a long time period, companies go out of business and records become unavailable. Or, to put it more precisely, those records are harder to find.
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Si es posible que haya estado expuesto al asbesto, hable con su proveedor de atención médica sobre pruebas y exámenes para ayudar a detectar la presencia de fibras de enfermedades relacionadas con el asbesto.
WARD, the worldwide asbestos research database, makes evidence collection much easier in these situations. This database, which only a select few Austin asbestos attorneys can access, quickly sorts through millions of documents from all over the world, just to find the one “smoking gun” in a specific case that makes the difference between maximum compensation and minimal compensation.
Additionally, there’s usually a connection between the amount of evidence an Austin mesothelioma lawyer presents and the amount of compensation jurors award. This dynamic doesn’t apply in all cases, meaning that the availability of evidence often affects the legal plan in the case. More on that below.
“La evidencia general sugiere que no existe un nivel seguro de exposición al asbesto”.Fuente: Instituto Nacional del Cáncer (NIH)1 |
Evidence in Primary Exposure Asbestos Claims
Most asbestos exposure claims are primary (service or work-related) claims. Obtaining fifty-year-old service records is difficult, but usually not impossible. Obtaining fifty-year-old employment records is a different story. For example, if the victim worked in an asbestos hotspot like Shreveport in the 1970s, the victim’s employer has probably changed ownership several times or even gone out of business altogether.
How to find old evidence of asbestos exposure with W.A.R.D., the largest database of asbestos info on the planet.
That’s where a WARD-like database comes into play. An attorney can quickly locate employment records that might take weeks or months to find otherwise.
Accurate medical records are hard to acquire as well in primary asbestos exposure cases. Mostly because of the long latency period, asbestos exposure illnesses are difficult to diagnose. If a victim complains of trouble breathing or general pain, lung disease and mesothelioma aren’t on a doctor’s radar. No employment or service records contain red flags.
An Austin mesothelioma lawyer helps in these situations as well. Most states allow workers’ compensation claimants to choose their own doctors, at least for a second opinion. All VA disability claimants have the right to an IME (independent medical examination). Attorneys connect victims with medical toxicologists and other such professionals who have special expertise in this area.
Evidence in Secondary Asbestos Exposure Claims
VA disability and workers’ compensation are no-fault claims. If the asbestos exposure injury was service or work-related, benefits are available as a matter of law. These benefits usually include some form of lost wage replacement, as well as some form of medical bill payment.
The government, and private insurance companies, often dispute the amount of damages, which in this case is usually a mesothelioma or other diagnosis. But that’s the subject of a different blog.
Proving second-hand asbestos exposure (secondary asbestos exposure)
Secondary, or environmental, exposure cases are usually failure to warn cases. Like all other companies, asbestos providers have a duty to warn about known side-effects. Like many other companies, asbestos providers didn’t do so.
“Por lo general, quienes desarrollan enfermedades relacionadas con el asbesto no muestran signos de enfermedad durante mucho tiempo después de la exposición”.Fuente: Instituto Nacional del Cáncer (NIH)2 |
Evidence of primary asbestos exposure can help show that a family member came into regular contact with the primary person’s asbestos-tainted work clothing.
During descubrimiento, an asbestos exposure lawyer typically finds smoking guns like safety memos that clearly show the company knew about the asbestos hazard, but it hid those hazards from the general public.
Attorneys easily subpoena documents during discovery, and easily analyze these documents thanks to WARD-like technology. Victims without lawyers have limited access to the subpoena power and are often unable to cope with document dumps. In response to a subpoena, a company might provide millions of pages of documents, none of it digitized. Looking for the smoking gun is like looking for a needle in a field of haystacks.
A person injured by asbestos exposure may be legally entitled to multiple types of asbestos claims for compensation.
These asbestos claims usually include a lawsuit, involving the laws and rules of evidence in litigation.
These claims often overlap. Assume Larry was a naval longshoreman who worked on vessels built before 1980. All navy ships built before 1980 extensively used asbestos insulation. He unwittingly brought a few stray fibers home on his shoes and in his car. Some fifty years later, Larry and his wife Jane are both diagnosed with mesotelioma.
Larry probably has a primary exposure VA disability claim. Jane probably has a secondary exposure failure-to-warn claim against the company that manufactured the asbestos-laced goods Larry handled.
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Descubra rápida y fácilmente cómo estuvo expuesto buscando en WARD, la base de datos de asbesto más grande del planeta.
BÚSQUEDA GRATUITA >VCF Claims
Most people are well aware that the legal process can be long and cumbersome. An asbestos bankruptcy claim might be the fastest way to obtain compensation. Courts aren’t involved in these claims, which means no discovery.
These asbestos claims don’t have adverse lawyers, which means no depositions and a lower evidence requirement. No one contests the victim/plaintiff’s evidence, so a victim/plaintiff has the first and final word. In other words, a lack of evidence usually doesn’t affect the case.
Understanding asbestos bankruptcy trusts (also known as Victim Compensation funds, or VCFs..
As a condition of bankruptcy, most of thich were granted in the 1980s, a federal judge forced defunct asbestos companies to establish large Victim Compensation Funds. Even all these years later, these funds still contain upwards of $30 billion.
VCF claims may not require a lawyer to file, but they definitely require a lawyer to resolve, at least if the victim wants maximum compensation.
Why to get an asbestos attorney before applying for compensation
The lack of court supervision makes the claims process faster and the resolution process slower. Since there’s no judge, there’s never a duty to negotiate in good faith, and there’s no looming trial date to motivate settlement.
Therefore, fund administrators often make low-ball offers, and they are in no hurry to make a reasonable settlement offer.
In addition, proving second-hand asbestos exposure can require knowledge of how asbestos travels, how easily it is inhaled, and which of its effects can be proven.
Only an attorney who is a good negotiator as well as a good litigator, can overcome these hurdles.
AsbestosClaims.Law
Para Justinian C. Lane, obtener una indemnización por las víctimas del asbesto es algo personal.
Los abuelos de Justiniano y su padre trabajaron con asbesto en su juventud y murieron de cánceres relacionados con el asbesto en sus últimos años.
En el momento de cada una de sus muertes, nadie en la familia de Justiniano sabía que eran elegibles para presentar una demanda por asbesto y buscar una compensación de los fideicomisos de asbesto.
Debido a que nadie en la familia de Justiniano conocía sus opciones, nunca recibieron compensación alguna por la muerte de sus seres queridos.
Si cree que su lesión o la de su familiar estuvo relacionada con la exposición al asbesto, podría tener derecho a una compensación significativa.
Este es dinero que podría usar para cubrir los costos de los servicios de remoción de asbesto, pagar el tratamiento médico y proteger de manera preventiva su bienestar físico.
También hay fideicomisos de asbesto que ofrecen compensación mucho más rápida y fácilmente (sin presentar una demanda).
Si desea ayuda para presentar un reclamo, ponerse en contacto por correo electrónico a [email protected] o llámenos o envíenos un mensaje de texto al (833) 4-ASBESTOS (427-2378) o (206) 455-9190. Escucharemos su historia y le explicaremos sus opciones. Y nunca cobramos por nada a menos que reciba dinero en su bolsillo.
Además de demandas legales, discapacidad de veteranos, seguridad social y protección del empleo como compensación de trabajadores, FELA y La ley de Jones para los trabajadores marítimos, hay fideicomisos de asbesto que se han establecido para indemnizar a los perjudicados por el asbesto sin tener que presentar una demanda.
No hay riesgo ni costo para hablar con uno de nuestro personal sobre su litigio de asbesto. No hay cargos a menos que reciba dinero.
Si tiene preguntas o inquietudes adicionales relacionadas con el asbesto, visite nuestro sitio web y página de YouTube para ver videos, infografías y respuestas a sus preguntas sobre el asbesto, incluida la salud y la seguridad, prueba de asbesto, la eliminación del asbesto de su hogar y edificio, y información legal sobre la compensación por lesiones de asbesto.
Presentamos la base de datos de información sobre asbesto más grande del planeta.
W.A.R.D., que significa Worldwide Asbestos Research Database, ayuda a los clientes a reducir cuándo y dónde pueden haber estado expuestos, así como qué productos aún pueden contener asbesto.WARD también ayudará a indicar los tipos de compensación ya cuánto puede tener derecho una persona.
1 Instituto Nacional del Cáncer (NIH) Hoja informativa sobre asbesto.
2 Instituto Nacional del Cáncer (NIH), Hoja informativa sobre asbesto.
