Fideicomisos de asbesto / ¿Qué son los fideicomisos de asbesto?

How Can Asbestos Cause Injuries?

Asbestos Overview

Asbestos is historically acclaimed as the “miracle mineral” due to its extreme versatility.  The term asbesto refers to a group of related silicate minerals, each with slightly different characteristics, but all with the same highly durable and heat-resistant properties.  
That’s why asbestos was used in almost every part of the construction and industrial industries; it was found in paint and cement, brake linings and pipe insulation, and even protective clothing like aprons and gloves.

Even a small exposure to asbestos can cause a range of health problems decades later. When asbestos fibers are inhaled or ingested, they stay in the body forever. The fibers are microscopic – thinner than a human hair – but they can become embedded in the lungs, pleural membranes, or mesothelium (the layer of protective tissue that covers the organs in your abdomen and chest) and cause damage.

The illnesses most often developed from asbestos exposure include asbestosis, pleural plaques, lung cancer, mesothelioma, and other cancers. These are also known as asbestos related diseases. 

It’s important to note that illnesses from asbestos exposure do not occur overnight, or even over the course of a week, month, or year.

Asbestos related diseases have long latency periods, meaning that they take decadas to develop. Most people do not know that they have been injured by asbestos exposure until they begin to experience symptoms of illness. Some people do not know how or when they could have been exposed, but that does not mean that a legal team, like us, cannot help them figure it out. 

What Are Asbestos Trusts & Why Do They Exist?

What is an Asbestos Trust?

Las compañías de asbesto y sus aseguradoras colocaron cerca de $ 30 mil millones de dólares en fondos fiduciarios para pagar a las personas que resultaron heridas por el asbesto. Pero casi el 40% de los fondos aún no han sido reclamados por las víctimas. Es posible que tenga derecho a una parte de estos fondos.

The asbestos industry is an old industry. Some companies, like notorious Johns-Manville (JM), were founded in the 1800s. This means that there has been a long time (hundreds of years) for a great deal of workers and their families to have been at risk of exposure to asbestos, and a long history of lawsuits and asbestos injury claims being brought against these corporations on behalf of those injured. 

Some asbestos companies, like JM, were sued by workers with injury claims as early as the 1930s. For many others, the litigation against them began in the late 1960s and continued to pile on as years passed. 

Settling cases and going to trial was very expensive, and many companies determined that they needed to file for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy. Under the laws and regulations regarding Chapter 11 Bankruptcy filings, the companies were ordered by their respective Courts to form Asbestos Bankruptcy Trusts.  

The trusts were to be funded by the companies and their insurance providers, often with millions or billions of dollars set aside, with the sole purpose of providing compensation to victims injured by asbestos exposure. 

Each asbestos bankruptcy trust has certain criteria that a person must meet to qualify for compensation for their claim. This typically includes providing the trust with information about your work or exposure history, medical history and diagnosis of asbestos related disease, and any other information deemed relevant by the trust. 

We have a list of every trust that is still actively paying victims, and we have information on the ones that have already closed, too. We also have one of the largest record databases on bankrupt asbestos companies out there. If you believe you or a loved one suffered an asbestos injury, we can help you figure it out.

Datos importantes sobre la compensación del fideicomiso de asbesto para personas con enfermedades de asbesto

Depending on where you worked, or how you were exposed to asbestos, you may qualify to file claims with more than one asbestos trust.  Different occupations worked with different types of asbestos products.  The location of the work – the actual job site – also impacts which claims may be filed.  Every case is unique, and thousands of clients have been able to receive compensation from multiple asbestos trusts.  

Filing claims with asbestos trusts is a separate act than filing a lawsuit against certain companies.  It is possible, however, to file a lawsuit and additionally file claims with asbestos trusts. This determination is made on a case-by-case basis depending on each client’s work and/or exposure history. Companies that are not bankrupt are eligible to be sued in a lawsuit, while bankrupt companies are those that were ordered to establish asbestos bankruptcy trusts.

The asbestos trusts exist for the purpose of awarding compensation to qualifying claimants. The courts designated that money be specifically set aside to provide payment to those individuals injured by asbestos. You do not have to be retired to file a claim, and the claim does not affect your current or previous employer(s), or any benefits you may already receive. If you worked with products or at a job site that was owned by a company that has established an asbestos trust, you may meet the criteria for compensation. 

Exposición Secundaria al Asbesto

Spouses and household members of workers may qualify for the Asbestos Bankruptcy Trusts as well.

People who brought home asbestos on their work clothes may have also been exposed in their homes and vehicles. This especially includes anyone who regularly laundered asbestos-tainted work clothes. Asbestos is dusty and durable, and anyone who spent time in a garage, car, or small laundry room breathing it in could have been at risk.

Asbestos use was extremely common in the U.S. military for decades. Navy ships were built using asbestos insulation to ensure they were fireproof. The boiler rooms on the ships were full of asbestos insulation, gaskets, and valves used on the various types of equipment. Military tanks and vehicles used asbestos containing brake parts as well as gaskets and valves. These are just some examples of where asbestos would have been found.

Some military jobs, such as mechanics, boilermakers, and pipefitters, to name a few, would cause service members to be directly exposed to asbestos.   Other jobs required that work be done near those using or working with asbestos, which still put those workers at risk.  A military veteran’s benefits will not be affected by filing asbestos trust claims; this is true even if you already receive disability benefits from the VA. 

Uno de los conceptos erróneos comunes que rodean las reclamaciones de fideicomisos de asbesto es que las personas que fumaron no pueden solicitar una compensación.

Eso es absolutamente falso.

Nuestra oficina ha recuperado muchos acuerdos de fideicomiso en nombre de fumadores. 

La exposición al asbesto hace que sea cinco veces más probable que desarrolle cáncer de pulmón. Fumar hace que sea diez veces más probable que desarrolle cáncer de pulmón. Pero ser un fumador con exposición al asbesto hace que sea cincuenta veces más probable que desarrolle cáncer de pulmón.

Y es por eso que las empresas de asbesto pagarán una compensación a los trabajadores industriales u otras personas expuestas al asbesto, incluso si fueron fumadores de por vida.

Lo sé porque muchos de ellos son mis clientes.

Aunque los reclamos de fideicomisos de asbesto no son juicios, están sujetos a las mismas limitaciones de tiempo que los juicios.

Estas leyes se denominan estatutos de limitación. 

Los estatutos de limitación especifican cuánto tiempo tiene una persona para presentar una demanda.

Si una persona espera demasiado, pierde el derecho a presentar una demanda. 

Every state puts limits on how long individuals have to file lawsuits on their own behalf or on behalf of a deceased loved one. These laws are called Statutes of Limitation, and if you miss one, you will not be able to file any asbestos claims.

Exactamente lo mismo se aplica a los fideicomisos de asbesto: 

If you wait too long to file an asbestos trust claim, you’ll lose the right to do so.  Statutes of Limitation can be complicated in asbestos cases because a person typically doesn’t develop an asbestos-related illness until many years after they were exposed.

Los estatutos de limitaciones a menudo no son muy sencillos en los casos de asbesto porque hay preguntas sobre cuándo debería comenzar el estatuto:

• ¿Comienza “el reloj” cuando a una persona se le diagnostica una enfermedad relacionada con el asbesto, o comienza cuando descubre que su enfermedad podría haber sido causada por el asbesto?

• Si trabajaron en Texas pero ahora viven en Missouri, ¿qué estatuto se aplica? 

Estos son los tipos de preguntas que mejor se le plantean a un abogado especializado en asbesto, y nos complacerá responderlas por usted.

Si cree que tiene derecho a una compensación por su enfermedad relacionada con el asbesto, llame, envíe un mensaje de texto o envíe un correo electrónico a nuestro bufete de abogados para que podamos decirle cuánto tiempo tiene para tomar la decisión de presentar un reclamo de fideicomiso o buscar una compensación por asbesto a través de una demanda por asbesto.  

No le costará nada llamarnos, pero podría costarle todo si espera demasiado para presentar un reclamo.

Justinian C. Lane, Esq. – AsbestosClaims.Law

Mi abuelo, mi abuela y mi padre estuvieron expuestos al asbesto en su trabajo y los tres murieron de cánceres relacionados con las vías respiratorias.

Me enteré demasiado tarde de los efectos del asbesto en la salud como para ayudarlos.

Pero mi empresa ha ayudado a muchas otras personas a recibir una compensación por los problemas de salud que desarrollaron por la exposición al asbesto. 

Llámenos, envíenos un mensaje de texto o envíenos un correo electrónico para una consulta completamente gratuita y sin compromiso. Escucharé los detalles de su historia y le explicaré sus opciones. Solo trabajamos en contingencia, por lo que solo cobramos si lo haces.

Cada caso es diferente, pero las Oficinas Legales de Justinian C. Lane, Esq. ha obtenido cuantiosas indemnizaciones para miles de personas perjudicadas por el asbesto. Esta compensación ha ayudado a aliviar las cargas financieras de nuestros clientes y ofrece un legado para sus seres queridos.

En AsbestosClaims.Law, hemos ayudado a miles de personas que estuvieron expuestas al asbesto en su trabajo, automóvil o en casa. ¿Podemos ayudarte?