San Diego, CA (PRWEB) April 22, 2013
http://www.resource4thepeople.com/occupationaldisease/asbestos-lawsuits.html
Resource4thePeople announced today that free legal consultations are now available through its national network of attorneys to patients who may have been diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma.
Mesothelioma is an aggressive cancer most often caused by exposure to asbestos and is diagnosed in between 2,000 to 3,000 Americans each year.
“We have been receiving an increasing number in inquiries from consumers about the legal rights they might have to seek compensation after being diagnosed with mesothelioma,” said Resource4thePeople.
“These complimentary consultations will be available for those who, tragically, have been diagnosed with this deadly, aggressive cancer for which there is no cure.”
Mesothelioma develops after victims unknowingly inhale microscopic particles of asbestos which lodge in the linings of the lungs, heart or abdominal organs and eventually generate cancer cells which form tumors or spread to other parts of the body.
In announcing the referrals to lawyers experienced in the area of asbestos litigation, Resource4thePeople notes that legal representation for asbestos victims has over the last several decades provided billions of dollars of compensation for loss of loved ones, medical and funeral expenses, loss of wages and pain and suffering.*
It is a vital component of our justice system that consumers be fully informed about their legal rights and we are now announcing that we will provide links to experienced law firms who will be providing free consultations in which these patients legal options can be spelled out,” said Resource4thePeople.
“One of the factors that has repeatedly been involved in asbestos litigation is the question of negligence on the part of manufacturers, distributors and employers. Many mesothelioma victims were completely unaware that they were being exposed to this toxic material and unaware of the life-threatening consequences.”
Resource4thePeople also notes that over the last few years the average among of compensation awarded by juries or reached in out-of-court settlements has continued to increase. These figures were recently documented in an investigative report published by Reuters News Service:*
“No central registry keeps track of asbestos lawsuits filed yearly or their outcomes. A tabulation of jury verdicts and settlements, based on an average of all asbestos-related lawsuits reported in Westlaw Journal Asbestos, a Thomson Reuters publication, found that the average award was $ 6.3 million in 2009, $ 17.6 million in 2010 and $ 10.5 million in 2011 — amounts much greater than what lawyers say was the norm more than a decade earlier.
“Clearly, mesothelioma and other asbestos-related payouts persist at levels companies and their insurers never expected. Insurers have been adding hundreds of millions of dollars to their asbestos-claim reserves. Travelers Cos, in its annual report for 2011, echoed its peers when it cited a “high degree of uncertainty with respect to future exposure from asbestos claims.”
Resource4thePeople notes that in its recently released Report to the Nation about cancer statistics the National Cancer Institute, which says there are about 2,000 to 3,000 new cases of mesothelioma diagnosed in the country each year, reports encouraging news about decreases in cancer death rates.**
However, while some of the most common cancers such as lung, colon and rectum, female breast and prostate showed declines, mesothelioma was not among the cancers mentioned as showing an improvement in decreasing death rates.
The report, produced since 1998, is co-authored by researchers from the American Cancer Society (ACS), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the National Cancer Institute (NCI), and the North American Association of Central Cancer Registries (NAACCR). It appears early online in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute and will be published in print issue 3, volume 105.
Resource4thePeople also notes that one of the reasons that mesothelioma has not shown a decline in death rates is that the cancer has such a long latency period. It is not uncommon for it to take decades between the time a victim inhales asbestos fibers and the time that these fibers generate cancer cells and become symptomatic.***
There is no cure for mesothelioma and in most cases by the time the cancer is diagnosed it cannot effectively be treated by common cancer approaches such as surgery, radiation and chemotherapy.
“The sad truth is that by the time most victims of mesothelioma are diagnosed they are told that their remaining life expectancy is less than 18 months,” said Resource4thePeople.
“That is why it is important for anyone diagnosed with mesothelioma who feels they may have developed the disease as a result of exposure in a workplace or other environment in which there may have been negligence involved to seek legal advice as soon as possible.”
“We are also providing an information bank on our web site at http://www.resource4thePeople.com/ in which we will be providing victims of malignant mesothelioma and their loved ones the latest information available about this deadly cancer.”
This information bank will include the newest reports about mesothelioma research, health advisories and warnings from the Food and Drug Administration and stories about mesothelioma treatment and options from the news media and professional medical publications.
“For instance, Verastem, Inc., a Massachusetts biopharmaceutical company, has just applied to the Food and Drug Administration for a filing of an orphan drug designation for mesothelioma treatment. This is important information for mesothelioma victims.”
sources:
*http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/05/11/us-usa-asbestos-lawsuits-idUSBRE84A0J920120511
**http://www.cancer.gov/newscenter/newsfromnci/2013/ReportNation
***http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/mesothelioma/DS00779
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