Mesothelioma Compensation: Asbestos Trust, Settlements or Trial

Mesothelioma Compensation for People Diagnosed With Mesothelioma

This webpage explains legal options to receive the highest compensation available for a diagnosis of Mesothelioma or Asbestos Lung Cancer. Flint Law Firm is one of the most experienced and reputable Mesothelioma firms in the nation. We have recovered over 2 Billion Dollars for our clients—and counting.

What is Mesothelioma Compensation for Asbestos Victims?

Mesothelioma compensation is the total of money awarded from several different types of claims, benefits, and legal actions you can take based on your asbestos cancer diagnosis.

The Mesothelioma lawyers at Flint Law Firm have the experience and skill to maximize the payments you can receive.

Since 2007 our lawyers have won over 2 billion dollars for our Mesothelioma and Asbestos Lung Cancer clients and their families.

How to Start My Mesothelioma Compensation Process?

The best way to receive Mesothelioma compensation quickly is by hiring our experienced asbestos attorneys to protect your legal rights.

We will interview you about your life, investigate your Asbestos exposure, and file qualifying claims to get you the best compensation you deserve. We came to you, and there is no money upfront, and all asbestos-related cases we handle are No Win-No Fee policy.

Finally, your compensation must acknowledge the stress and pain caused by a diagnosis that is not your fault and was preventable.

The steps you can take include filing a civil lawsuit, settling claims with insurance companies and other dependents, and filing bankruptcy trust claims against companies that have already set aside funds to compensate victims.

When Can I Expect Mesothelioma Compensation?

How soon can someone that is filing a Mesothelioma case expect compensation?

If you file a Mesothelioma claim, you can expect compensation to begin in a few short months, but each case is unique, and you would need to speak with one of our lawyers to find out when you would receive all your financial compensation. The outside time frame for payment would be anywhere from a year to two years.

Often settlements with individual defendants can happen in just a couple of months. It depends on the type of exposure and the defendant companies that we have sued. You will start receiving compensation when the diagnosis is proven, and the claim or lawsuit has been filed, so it is critical to begin the process as soon as possible.

The more quickly you begin the process, the sooner you will start receiving offers of compensation from the asbestos defendants.‍

Settlement offers from the asbestos bankruptcy trusts can arrive within a few months of filing claims. Financial offers from civil defendants can happen at any time after a case is filed and served.

Many defendants will wait until a trial date to settle the case. Depending on the jurisdiction, the trial date can be anywhere from 6 months to 18 months after filing.

The best way to get an estimate of how long it will take to get your compensation is to speak with one of our asbestos attorneys. Flint Law Firm's experienced professionals are happy to answer your mesothelioma questions 24/7.

What Is The Average Mesothelioma Compensation Amount?

A national study of Mesothelioma awards said the average compensation for Mesothelioma plaintiffs who settled their claims was between one million and two million dollars. According to the Mealey's Litigation Report, a well-respected news outlet for legal reporting, the median Plaintiff's jury award ranged from 1.2 million to 4.5 million from 2010-2018.

Flint Law Firm's verdicts have averaged significantly higher, as you can read on our verdicts page. If you want to find the potential value of your case, you can use the Mesothelioma Case Calculator—or you can always call us and ask an attorney 24/7.

Any national average includes cases that are worth much more and much less than the average. Some claims are challenging to prove because the exposure is unknown, or there may not be a living co-worker. Each case is unique, and we never think of our clients as average. We work each case up to try to maximize the potential for our client and their family.‍

• Verdicts awarding money from a jury trial or a bench trial;
• Settlements with negligent Asbestos manufacturers, distributors, and suppliers;
• Payments from qualifying Asbestos Bankruptcy Trust Funds;
• Social Security Disability Benefits (SSD) / Supplemental Security Income Payments (SSI);
• Veteran's Benefits and Service-Related Disability Payments;
• Financial Assistance for medical and travel expenses.

What Affects My Mesothelioma Compensation Amount?

Your amount of compensation is affected by many things, including medical bills, insurance premiums, home healthcare, copays, cost of therapies, and other out of pocket expenses. It also includes lost wages and lost benefits, and other financial harm caused by your Mesothelioma diagnosis.

Your compensation must acknowledge the stress and pain caused by a diagnosis that is not your fault and was preventable. It is also affected by your marital status and whether you have dependent family members affected by your diagnosis.

Flint Law Firm's experienced professionals are happy to answer your mesothelioma questions 24/7.

Your compensation will come from the following sources: Asbestos Trust Funds, Settlements, & Awards from a Jury or Bench Trial.

1. Asbestos Trust Funds

Starting in the 1990s, some asbestos manufacturers decided to protect their companies from liability by asking for federal bankruptcy protection. They petitioned the bankruptcy courts to protect them from future lawsuits by claiming that future litigation would financially destroy the company.

The courts granted that security on the condition that Asbestos Manufacturers set aside hundreds of millions to several billion dollars in a trust fund to handle the claims of future victims of mesothelioma and lung cancer.

Trust funds are processed outside of the civil court system and resolve without a lawsuit. A settlement will pay in a few short months.

Because these claims are as crucial to our mesothelioma clients, Flint Law Firm has a dedicated department to file, process, and collect the compensation from these trust funds for you.

Attorney and firm partner, Jill Price, has two decades of experience working on bankruptcy trust claims and has a tremendous track record of getting the maximum allowable compensation for each mesothelioma and lung cancer client.

2. Mesothelioma Settlements

Given a 40 years history of litigation, most Asbestos defendants know that they exposed Americans to lethal doses of Asbestos and that Asbestos could cause cancers like Mesothelioma and lung cancer.

These same asbestos defendants will often offer a settlement amount to pay you compensation and require in turn that you dismiss your lawsuit against them. A typical asbestos lawsuit will have many defendants identified based on your type of work and place of exposure to Asbestos.

Since 2007, the Flint Law Firm has been successful in thousands of cases proving the asbestos exposure and getting over two billion dollars in settlements for our clients. Our attorneys will advise and negotiate so you can get the compensation you deserve.

3. Mesothelioma Lawsuits & Trials

If a company that injured you by exposing you to Asbestos does not have a bankruptcy trust (and does not offer a settlement), then that company must be held responsible in the court of law.

We ask the court for a trial date for your filed mesothelioma case. The case goes to a jury for their verdict.

You have the right to attend the trial, but your testimony can also be given by a pre-recorded video created in your home.

The Flint Law Firm is a significant experience with multiple lawyers having tried cases with verdicts exceeding a million dollars.

Flint Law Firm's trial team has decades of experience presenting successful lawsuits to juries across America.

It is important to note that Flint Law Firm has success in trials that so many defendants are willing to settle your case—they don't want to face you or Flint Law Firm in court!

For an analysis of whether your case would generate significant settlements or whether your claim might be successful at trial, please call one of our mesothelioma attorneys at (855) 883-6447.

Steps To File for Mesothelioma Compensation

If you have been diagnosed with Mesothelioma of any type, then you are eligible to apply for compensation. The next step is:

1. Talk to us!

Flint Law Firm is here to explain how your potential claim will work. We have the experience and knowledge to help. There is no cost to you out of pocket and no risk to you if we don't win your case.

2. Work History

Discuss your work history so we can determine all possible sources of asbestos exposure. Parent and spouse exposures are relevant too because asbestos fibers can travel home on worker's clothing. (Don't worry if you don't know where you were exposed—our experienced attorneys and investigators will figure it out.)

3. Pursue Compensation & Financial Settlements

Evaluate with your attorney if you want to pursue Trust Fund Compensation, Financial Settlements, or if you are willing to pursue a lawsuit to trial. Flint Law Firm will be there to help you consider all your options for compensation and to protect your legal rights.

4. Case Workup

(This part of working on the case is called the "4 D's.")

• Defendants - We make sure the proper bad actors are part of your lawsuit based on your work history.
• Discovery - Both sides of the lawsuit get to ask each other for information.
• Depositions - Witnesses give video testimony (so you don't have actually to appear in court). A co-worker or family member can do a video deposition if you wish.
• Damages - Experts assign monetary (damages) to your medical bills, pain-and-suffering, lost benefits or wages, etc.

Do Mesothelioma Cases Have to Go to Trial?

Mesothelioma cases DO NOT have to go to trial. You are part of the decision about whether to go in front of a judge and jury. Even if your case makes it to the trial date, in most cases, a Mesothelioma or Asbestos lung cancer lawsuit will settle because the defendant knows that their business decisions killed thousands of American workers. They don't want the American public to know.      

Defendants will often offer a settlement literally on the courthouse steps. They don't want to face a jury verdict's uncertainty, and their shareholders don't want to face uncertainty in the company's stock valuation.      

Asbestos defendants settle because they know our firm can prove they exposed generations of American workers to a cancer-causing Mesothelioma.  Asbestos defendants' motivation was to save a few pennies per ton on materials instead of using a safe fiberglass option.

What is The Value of a Mesothelioma Case if We Go Trial?

If your mesothelioma case goes to trial, the value can be significantly more than average. Defendants often want to settle for the certainty of the outcome and to limit their liability.

We cannot anticipate what a jury will do with a case; however, juries that deliberate on a Mesothelioma case can get angry and react in your favor because asbestos companies continued to sell a known carcinogen for decades after knowing the danger. ‍

Asbestos defendants put generations of Americans at risk of dying of cancer, resulting in verdicts and judgments of millions of dollars. Because these claims are as crucial to our mesothelioma clients, Flint Law Firm has a dedicated department to file, process, and collect the compensation from these trust funds for you.

Our firm has had cases where juries have awarded anywhere from a few million dollars to well over 50 million dollars.

Mesothelioma lawsuits that are decided by a trial can take longer. When Asbestos defendants lose at trial, they often choose to appeal the result, which can add even more time to the process.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does a typical Mesothelioma lawsuit take to resolve?

If we file a case while our client is living, the typical Mesothelioma case usually takes around a year to resolve. If the person has passed away from Mesothelioma or Asbestos Lung Cancer, and the family files a wrongful death lawsuit, it will take longer.

Factors that can change this estimated timeline would be the state we file in, the county we file in, and any major event that can affect courthouse operations. These timelines and estimates are always subject to change; however, the courts have over forty years of experience dealing with Mesothelioma claims and generally handle them more quickly than any other personal injury lawsuit.

During the coronavirus pandemic, many courthouses are closed or have limited access. We can still file your case and any relevant bankruptcy claims electronically. You DO NOT have to appear in court or travel anywhere to pursue your Mesothelioma claim.

What if I don't have money to pay for a lawyer to file my claim?

We will never ask you for money! Flint Law Firm operates under what's called a contingency fee agreement. We've never had a client pay us out of their pocket for anything--ever. Only if we win your case would we receive a fee.

We want our mesothelioma clients to focus on their treatment and their family. It is our job to do the heavy lifting and get compensation for them.

Our clients always receive more than the law firm does, or we will lower our fees to guarantee that outcome. The client is not having to risk any of their resources.

Where is it that you would file a mesothelioma lawsuit?

We file your Mesothelioma or Asbestos lung cancer lawsuit where it is the best for you, our client. After we meet with you, learn your life story, and investigate your exposure history, where will be a courthouse that makes the most sense to file your case.

Our firm considers many factors to find the best place to help you. It may be a county that is close to where you live or work. In other situations, it may be a courthouse that is in the state where one of the defendant companies are located or incorporated.

One of the essential factors the speed at which we can help you and your family. If a particular court is more familiar with Mesothelioma cases and can handle them more quickly, we will file in that venue.

Regardless of where we file, you will not have to travel. You may be asked to speak with us in your home and communicate by phone or Zoom.

Do I have to pay taxes on my Mesothelioma or Asbestos Lung Cancer compensation?

No, your award is the court's attempt to make you whole for the injuries you received from negligent Asbestos corporations. Because a jury award compensates you for cancer diagnosis, it is not considered income for the IRS. However, if you were to be awarded special damages (called punitive damages), that may be taxable. Punitive damages are rare, and we will be able to provide you with legal advice if that occurs.