Posted on December 28th, 2018
When you file a claim for compensation through the VA or an asbestos bankruptcy trust, you must prove that you have been injured by asbestos products. Our broad and diverse database can be instrumental in supplying information about the manufacturer of the particular asbestos product that you used on the job.
Since 1990, when our law firm came into being, our attorneys have been committed to helping as many victims of asbestos exposure as possible recover just financial compensation for their injuries. We do this via filing a claim with the asbestos trust funds of their former employer, with the VA - if they are veterans - or by standard litigation, which is rarer nowadays in this practice area.
Over the years, Environmental Litigation Group, P.C., has built a team of numerous competent and driven experts, such as legal assistants, database administrators, paralegals, as well as bookkeepers and archival and record managers. With this resourceful team of legal professionals, we are able to provide assistance to many people who have suffered unthinkable injuries due to asbestos exposure.
Documenting and proving where and when asbestos exposure occurred
If you served in the military or worked in construction, maintenance, and heavy industry before the 1970s, there is a good chance that you were working in an asbestos-filled environment. During these times, it was common for workers to become exposed to deadly asbestos dust.
Once you pinpoint where your exposure occurred, you need to determine when it occurred. While, in some cases, it may be impossible to find out the exact date and time, it generally takes 20 to 50 years for victims of exposure to asbestos to develop any evident symptoms of the disease.
One of the most helpful things you can do to maximize your chances of obtaining compensation is to document your exposure. It is extremely helpful when you have documents related to your employment.
The VA denies asbestos disability claims for insufficient proof
Many of our clients are veterans who suffered exposure to asbestos and received terrible medical diagnoses, such as incurable and metastatic malignant mesothelioma. Veterans develop cancer after a lifetime of working around products that were manufactured with asbestos and in environments that did not provide proper precautions for their safety.
In the past, many people were exposed to a wide variety of products that they used at home, while in the service, and later in their work as employees. When filing a VA claim, veterans must prove that they have been exposed to asbestos products in the military. To do this, they must provide military records describing how asbestos exposure occurred during their service.
However, veterans may not remember the name of the manufacturer of the particular asbestos product that was used when they were in service and that caused their asbestos-related disease. That is where our extensive database may be able to help and supply information about manufacturers and places of exposure.
How Environmental Litigation Group, P.C. helps establish the history of your asbestos exposure
When you have a history of occupational exposure to asbestos but don't know:
- The name of the manufacturer of the asbestos product that you used on the job and caused your asbestos disease, or
- The place of exposure
our database may be able to help with this information.
We rely on prior evidence from reliable witnesses who were able to place specific products at certain sites.
We have a vast database of asbestos product information and resources available. We've done the research, collected the information and these documents can be used to prove your case.
The process of filing an asbestos claim is a complicated one, but our skilled mesothelioma lawyers can help you efficiently submit a claim and get compensated.
How our database is organized
Without an efficient filing system, it would take ages for our team - which is often very busy and has many things to do - to find exactly what they are looking for. Therefore, we know how important is to have an organized database, where we can find the following, among others:
- Diapositives with asbestos exposure sites from the last century
- A database of the companies known to have employed asbestos at some point in the past, whose number exceeds 100
- The employment and medical records of our clients, which are safely kept in a library with mobile shelves for easy access
- Product identification books with high-quality photos of asbestos products that people who worked at certain companies before 1970 might have used or come in contact with on the job
We believe our database is a big advantage when it comes to handling asbestos cases, as it helps both our attorneys and our clients identify with more accuracy the hazardous products they were exposed to in the workplace.
Because the diseases asbestos exposure is responsible for usually take between 10 and 50 years to develop, it is not uncommon for former employees or military personnel to not remember specific information. Furthermore, the majority of people who seek our assistance are elderly, which makes the endeavor of building a solid claim or lawsuit even more challenging.
However, using the information we provide, pinpointing details about occupational asbestos exposure becomes significantly easier. By virtue of our database, we can also put our clients in touch with former co-workers who may want to get involved in the case as witnesses.
Meet the team who build our asbestos database
- Alan Brasher - being a part of Environmental Litigation Group, P.C. since 1993, Alan is our archival and record manager, whose responsibilities include organizing large numbers of documents for case-related projects, storing evidence which may prove of great importance to a case, as well as maintaining the paperwork, documents, and medical files of our clients
- Chris Maddox - as a database administrator and application developer, Chris mostly performs devolvement work on the systems we use to track cases and store client files, while at the same time striving to prevent any issue before it arises, which is certainly not a free of stress task
- Katrina Jett - our second bookkeeper, Katrina, finds her job enjoyable and educational, despite the challenges which occasionally occur, and she is also responsible for updating the bookkeeping records of our clients, as well as for paying bills, printing, and processing settlement checks
- Adam McDermott - Adam is our information system manager, who has been constantly improving and optimizing our database since 2008 when he joined our team as a temporary employee
Why choose Environmental Litigation Group?
When you or a family member suffers from a serious asbestos disease, it can feel like your world is spinning, which is why you want representatives on your side who will treat your case very seriously. Another reason you can feel confident in your decision to work with us is that we have the level of experience that you're looking for and the tools to build strong claims and cases.
Using information from the database, our experts are able to conduct extensive research and eventually discover additional evidence for your case which may increase the compensation you get. Our system will ensure your documents are always kept safe and confidential, whereas our product identification books might help you recall information that could prove essential to your case. It is also because of our vast database that the legal process requires minimal involvement on your part while it is ongoing.
Are you struggling with a disease that might be the result of occupational or secondary asbestos exposure? Whether your diagnosis is lung cancer, asbestosis, esophageal cancer, or mesothelioma, our lawyers will dedicate their efforts to pursuing maximum compensation for you. We can file a claim with one or multiple asbestos trust funds, depending on the number of companies responsible for your injury. Asbestos exposure cases also have a statute of limitations, which is why we advise you to take legal action as soon as you receive your diagnosis.
Our standard fee is a 40% contingency fee. This means we only collect the fee when we are able to collect settlements or claims for a client. If we do not collect anything, our clients will not pay us any money out of pocket.
