Texas Asbestos Lawsuit History
Many companies have declared bankruptcy because of the asbestos lawsuits filed by victims. Meridian asbestos attorneys will help you secure compensation.
Experts in the health field have been warning for years about the dangers of asbestos exposure. However, the industry's leaders hid the risks. As time went on, asbestos-related diseases were becoming more prevalent.
The Third Case
Asbestos litigation really took off in the 1970s, shortly after research studies began to link asbestos to severe diseases like asbestosis and mesothelioma. Since these diseases typically don't develop symptoms until decades after exposure, tens of thousands of lawsuits were filed. A majority of these lawsuits were filed in Texas where favorable laws made it an ideal venue for this litigation inferno.
Johns Manville was the leading producer in the 1940s & 1950s of asbestos-related products. This case had a major impact on asbestos litigation. In the 1980s, it was brought to light that the company's CEO Lewis Brown prioritized company profits over the health of his employees. Deposition testimony revealed that Brown was heavily influenced his company's chief medical advisor Dr. Russell Budd. Budd was a doctor well-known for his sloppy disregard for the health of workers.
Johns Manville was found to have known about asbestos's dangers however, they did not take any action to protect their employees. The court found that the company is accountable for any damages suffered by workers who later develop mesothelioma or other asbestos-related illnesses. The court also determined that the company was responsible for damages to the families of deceased workers.
Following the decision in Borel, many asbestos victims and their families sought compensation from the companies that used asbestos as a material. The majority of these claims were denied due to a variety of reasons. Certain cases were allowed to be heard, and the courts developed guidelines for the handling of asbestos-related lawsuits.
In the 1990s asbestos defendants were seeking legal rulings that would limit their liability. For instance they sought to argue that the asbestos materials were not part of their product and thus shouldn't be held accountable for injuries to people who worked with them. These arguments were rejected and the U.S. Supreme Court refused to accept the "asbestos product" defense.
State and federal laws protect the rights of a mesothelioma patient to seek compensation for their condition from the responsible parties in a specific case. However, insurance companies continue to fight these claims with a hammer and a sledgehammer.
