Representing Workers and Their Families with
Mesothelioma and Lung Cancer for 25 Years.
Millions of Americans have been exposed to asbestos without warning – only to find out decades later when the dangerous fibers have led to life-threatening diseases and cancers.
Diagnosis with a life-threatening asbestos injury is overwhelming and devastating. Often, asbestos injuries damage the lungs in ways that are not curable. Victims may find themselves with precious little time to find a way to make sure their families are financially protected for the future.
You’re not sure what to do or where to turn after receiving a diagnosis of mesothelioma or other asbestos-related illness. There’s so much to process, and you want to spend the time you have left with the ones you love – not dealing with the burden of a legal claim or worrying about your family’s future.
At Sugarman Law, we understand what you are going through after a life-altering diagnosis because we have seen firsthand how mesothelioma affects families. Barry Sugarman has dedicated his nearly three-decade career to fighting on behalf of asbestos injury victims throughout New Jersey, including in Atlantic County, Camden County, and Middlesex County.
This isn’t something you need to handle on your own – it’s a burden that we can lift from your shoulders and carry for you. You’ve done enough. Let us take it from here. Contact Barry Sugarman toll-free at 1-866-657-5660 to discuss your case at no charge.
Asbestos fibers are light, very small fibers a substance composed of six different minerals. There are two classes of asbestos: the chrysotile (or serpentine) class and the amphibole class.
Dangerous asbestos fibers travel easily through the air, and because they are so small – too small to see with the naked eye – they are easily inhaled. Once inhaled, these fibers remain in the body permanently, becoming embedded in the lungs and the mesothelium (the lining that surrounds the lungs). Even decades later, asbestos exposure can prove fatal.
For decades, asbestos could be found in any number of products, including the building materials that surround us every day. Individuals who worked with asbestos – often, without even knowing it was there – are now being diagnosed with deadly illnesses caused by asbestos exposures that occurred as long as 50 years ago.
Asbestos companies have known of the dangerous and life-threatening diseases caused by asbestos for nearly 100 years, but they continued to hide these findings until the material was banned in the United States.
In the 1970s and early 1980s, various studies concluded that no level of asbestos exposure was safe. Yet the EPA did not formally ban asbestos until 1989, and the companies profiting off of asbestos continued to do so for more than a decade until this ban finally became a reality. All that time, the dangerous material continued to be prevalent on job sites and in building materials, putting workers’ lives at risk.
Even the ban did not stop some corporations from continuing to use asbestos. Because asbestos is cheap, durable and resistant to heat, fire and chemical damage, it continued to be used in any number of products and materials for years after the correlation between asbestos injuries and asbestos exposure was conclusively established.
Asbestos use has been banned in a number of products and materials, but can still be found in older buildings and homes even today. Several laws have been enacted to protect innocent Americans from asbestos exposure, including:
For those already affected by asbestos exposure, these laws – while a step in the right direction – were not enough to save them. As a result, victims and their families are seeking justice, and compensation, under the law.
Unfortunately, because most asbestos injuries are dormant for an extended period of time before symptoms begin to arise, many who were exposed to asbestos remain unaware of the exposure until it’s too late. Asbestos-related diseases are expected to become even more prevalent over the coming decades. Even today, around 3,000 deaths from mesothelioma are reported each year in the United States.
If you or a loved one are suffering from an asbestos injury, you may have the right to recover financial compensation for the negligent actions of the companies that caused you to be exposed to asbestos in the first place. Asbestos litigation has been proceeding for years, and it has been well-established that many companies were aware of the risks posed by asbestos. Despite this knowledge, they continued to use the product – even if it threatened the lives of their own employees.
To discuss your options and rights, contact Sugarman Law to speak with an experienced asbestos injury lawyer today.
The fibrous nature of asbestos makes the substance easy to inhale, prone to damaging the lungs – and generally, very dangerous. It can take a very long period of time for the disease to become symptomatic. That means that you may not even know that you were exposed to asbestos until decades later.
Exposure to asbestos can cause various life-threatening diseases, including:
The symptoms of these diseases are almost always dormant for an extended period of time after you have been exposed to asbestos. In some cases, patients do not become symptomatic for as long as 50 years. Because of this, these diseases are difficult to treat.
You should seek out medical attention if you notice any of the following:
Although there is no cure for most asbestos injuries, as with any other disease, early treatment tends to lead to more favorable results.
Even when caught relatively early, treatment for mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases can be invasive and can quickly become expensive, especially in cases where health insurance does not cover all of the expenses. Treatment methods like surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy may all present viable options for controlling the asbestos injury and prolonging the victim’s life.
Most asbestos exposures happened in the workplace, particularly for individuals who routinely worked around products that commonly contained asbestos. The amphibole class of asbestos, which is widely regarded as causing the most severe asbestos injuries, was commonly used in everyday products like the following for more than a century:
Asbestos exposure can result in any number of circumstances, but workers who experienced prolonged exposure to products containing asbestos tend to be most strongly impacted by asbestos injuries.
Barry Sugarman represents victims of asbestos injuries who have been exposed through their work in any number of locations and industries where asbestos use was prevalent throughout much of the 20th century, including, but not limited to:
Even people who did not handle asbestos directly can be impacted by asbestos injuries through secondhand exposure to the product (for example, teachers who were exposed to the product in their classrooms). Asbestos fibers also cling to the clothing and body, creating the risk that secondhand exposure will lead to asbestos injuries for the families of workers in those occupations, even if family members were never even directly in contact with asbestos.
Mesothelioma and other related diseases are caused almost exclusively by asbestos. Because the widespread nature of the exposure has caused thousands of victims to suffer, companies that used asbestos in their products have been required to fund several trusts in order to provide compensation to these victims and their families. In fact, over three billion dollars have been contributed to asbestos injury trusts. Barry Sugarman has the experience necessary to access those funds so that your family’s future is financially protected.
Asbestos injury cases frequently result in a settlement offer, which allows families to recover compensation without the need to resort to a lengthy and expensive trial. Despite this, if you are unsatisfied with the offer, Barry Sugarman is ready to go to trial to fight for your right to full and fair compensation. Sugarman Law will work tirelessly on your behalf to:
Barry Sugarman has won substantial settlements for thousands of workers and their families who are suffering the results of asbestos injuries because of the negligent actions of their former employers. Mr. Sugarman practices in the New Jersey Mass Tort Court, which is a venue specifically dedicated to litigating the claims of mesothelioma and asbestos injury cases for victims of asbestos exposure. Sugarman Law handles every aspect of an asbestos injury case and is here to put our resources and knowledge to work for you today.
In a mesothelioma claim, you can recover compensation for:
Sugarman Law is serious about holding the companies who continued to knowingly expose innocent workers to this deadly product financially responsible for their actions. Barry Sugarman will leave no stone unturned in making sure you and your family receive the compensation to which you are rightfully entitled.
Sugarman Law’s extensive experience in successfully winning compensation awards for clients suffering from asbestos injuries has given our firm a track record that speaks for itself. Don’t leave your family’s financial future to chance. Call Sugarman Law and let Barry Sugarman fight for the best possible outcome in your case.
If you suspect you are suffering from an asbestos injury, fill out this online contact form, or call Barry Sugarman and his dedicated team of asbestos injury lawyers toll-free at 1-866-657-5660. We will work with you to schedule a free initial consultation with an experienced lawyer at one of our two convenient office locations: 80 East Main Street, Somerville, NJ 08876 and 8000 Sagemore Drive, Marlton, NJ 08053.
New Jersey typically requires that a personal injury or wrongful death lawsuit be filed within two years of the incident that caused the injury or death. In asbestos cases, this would be the date of exposure. However, because the symptoms of asbestos injuries almost always remain dormant for decades, a “discovery rule” applies for victims who were unaware of their injuries. In asbestos injury cases, you will have two years from the date you were diagnosed or two years from the date when you reasonably should have known of your injuries, to file a claim for compensation.
An asbestos injury case is a type of product liability personal injury case. This means that the manufacturer of a dangerous product can be held responsible, as can an employer or property owner who recklessly continued to cause your asbestos exposure. Many companies knowingly continued to manufacture products that contained asbestos long after the extreme dangers of asbestos exposure were known, and these companies can be held financially responsible for their actions.
Winning Results
$1,400,000
SETTLEMENT
against a nursing home for the choking death of a resident
$1,000,000
SETTLEMENT
against an assisted living facility for injury and wrongful death of a resident
$930,000
VERDICT
against a Middlesex County nursing home for a resident’s pressure ulcers and wrongful death
$3,000,000
SETTLEMENT
settlement for workers with mesothelioma, lung cancer, and asbestosis caused by asbestos in the workplace