Legal Process in Toxic Exposure Cases

Legal process and steps for toxic exposure claims

With a professional experience of over 25 years, our attorneys have successfully represented thousands of clients throughout the U.S. and are bound to dedicate their time and effort to obtain the compensation you deserve.

Why Hire Us Compensation

1
Am I eligible for compensation?

To recover financial compensation for your injury, you should know that there are certain eligibility criteria you must meet. You should make seeking financial compensation a priority and reach out to our law firm as soon as you receive your diagnosis.

Since 1990, we have dedicated our endeavors to helping victims injured by toxic exposure or by defective products recover the financial compensation they are entitled to from the liable companies.

people would be exposed to on the job, such as asbestos and silica dust, which led to many former industrial workers developing terrible diseases decades later.
Veterans, another group of people we serve, were also exposed to dozens of toxic agents while on active duty.
If you lost a family member who was a former industrial worker or a veteran as a consequence of toxic exposure but who had not filed a claim during their lifetime, you can file a wrongful death claim to recover compensation on their behalf. Similarly, if you are the spouse of a veteran who passed away, you may be eligible for VA benefits. Family members can step in for an exposure victim if they are terminally ill, or do not want to deal with the claim process.
Family members suffering from secondary asbestos exposure are also eligible for compensation, as are family members living at contaminated military bases with their spouses and got sick due to the exposure to toxins.

Eligibility requirements for asbestos exposure »

If you were exposed to asbestos on the job or in the military and came to struggle with a related disease such as lung cancer or mesothelioma, you are eligible for compensation from the liable companies, as well as from the VA, if you are a veteran. Our attorneys will file your claim will each and every asbestos trust fund of the companies responsible for your suffering, as well as with the VA so that you can benefit from the maximum sum of money available for your diagnosis. The following are the eligibility requirements for asbestos exposure:

you must have a history of occupational or military asbestos exposure
you must have been exposed to asbestos for at least 3 years
you must have a diagnosis that is the direct result of asbestos exposure

If you have a family member who worked with asbestos and you came to struggle with a disease as a consequence of secondary asbestos exposure, you are also eligible for compensation, which our skillful attorneys will help you recover from the responsible companies. The process of filing a claim for secondary exposure is the same as the one concerning people who were directly exposed to asbestos. Lastly, if one of your family members passed away due to a disease caused by occupational or military exposure but they had not filed a claim for compensation, you can file a wrongful death claim to recover compensation on their behalf. The following are the eligibility requirements for wrongful death asbestos claims:

your family member must have worked with asbestos products
your family member must have died of a disease caused by asbestos exposure

Claim Evaluation

Eligibility requirements for PFAS exposure on military bases »

Over recent years, more and more military bases throughout the United States have become heavily contaminated with PFAS, a group of toxic fluorinated chemicals, exposure to which can lead to awful diseases such as prostate cancer, leukemia, and pancreatic cancer. If you were stationed at one of these military bases, either alone or with your family members, and developed a disease as a result of exposure to PFAS, you are entitled to financial compensation. It is important to know that if one of your family members who was stationed with you comes to struggle with a disease as a result of PFAS exposure, they can also file a claim to receive compensation. The following are the eligibility criteria for toxic exposure at military bases:

you must have been stationed at a military base contaminated with PFAS
you must have spent at least one year at one or multiple contaminated military bases
you must have a diagnosis that is the direct result of exposure to PFAS

About Military Bases Claim Application

Eligibility requirements for AFFF exposure »

As a very effective fire suppressant, aqueous film-forming foam, also known as AFFF, was invented by the U.S. Navy together with the renowned company 3M in the early 1960s. It is used to extinguish class B fires, such as those that stem from flammable liquids, jet fuel, and petroleum. However, it contains PFAS, a group of toxic and carcinogenic chemicals. As a consequence, firefighters who use this fire suppressant on a regular basis, whether they are civilian or military firefighters, have a high risk of developing a form of cancer, such as pancreatic cancer, leukemia, testicular cancer, or lymphoma. In the regrettable case that you are a firefighter who has been using AFFF and came to struggle with a related disease, you can file a claim to recover the financial compensation you deserve from the responsible companies. The following are the eligibility requirements for AFFF exposure:

you must have worked with AFFF either as a civilian or military firefighter
you must have a diagnosis that is the direct result of exposure to the PFAS in AFFF

About AFFF AFFF Claim

Eligibility requirements for paraquat exposure »

Since 1962, paraquat, a highly toxic herbicide, has been gaining popularity throughout the United States, as it can destroy weeds and grasses that are resistant to glyphosate, another dangerous herbicide sold under the brand name Roundup. People who are frequently exposed to paraquat, most of whom are farmers and agricultural workers, have a 250% higher risk of developing Parkinson’s disease. If one of your family members came to suffer from this brain disorder following paraquat exposure, they are entitled to financial compensation, which we will help you recover on their behalf from the liable manufacturers of the herbicide. These are the eligibility requirements for paraquat exposure:

the person must have been exposed to paraquat
the person must have a diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease

Paraquat Exposure Paraquat Claim

Eligibility requirements for other cases »

Our law firm also handles toxic exposure cases that concern exposure to coke oven emissions, heavy metals, dioxins, and contaminated drinking water. In these cases, we will file a lawsuit or, if your entire community was affected by toxic exposure, a class-action lawsuit. This way, you will receive the financial compensation you are eligible for if your health was affected by toxic exposure. The following are the eligibility requirements for other toxic exposure cases:

you or your community must have been exposed to a toxic agent
you must have a diagnosis that is the direct result of toxic exposure

Claim Evaluation

2
We thoroughly research your case

If you are eligible for compensation, the first step you must follow in order to start the legal process is to contact our law firm. Subsequently, we will ask you to provide our legal team with as many details as you know regarding the circumstances of your injury, as well as regarding your diagnosis. The only documents we will need from you are evidence of toxic exposure or the use of a defective product and proof of related diagnosis, as the rest of the paperwork will be efficiently taken care of by our resourceful legal team.

Your claim must be accompanied by pertinent and solid evidence, which must support the causal relation between your toxic exposure or the use of a defective product and your diagnosis. We will research aspects such as the following:

the dangerous products you handled or used on the job or in the military
where exactly toxic exposure occurred
which work tasks entailed exposure to toxic agents
the duration of your toxic exposure or of your use of a defective product
the companies that manufactured the toxic or defective products you were exposed to
the link between your toxic exposure or use of a defective product and your diagnosis

Given the more than two decades we have been handling toxic exposure cases we have gathered already significant amounts of documentation and proof that can help your claim tremendously.

3
We prepare your claim for submission

After we gather sufficient information to include in your claim, as well as enough evidence to accompany it, our legal team will efficiently take care of the necessary paperwork before submitting it. We will also double-check your employment or military records and medical documents to ensure they support the causal relationship between your toxic exposure or use of a defective product and your diagnosis without fault. We will also report to Medicare to obtain a clearance so as it will release the necessary funds to you.

At the end of the preparation phase, we will ask you to sign affidavits documenting your toxic exposure or use of a defective product and your attorney will subsequently submit your claim, along with the documents, to each and every company responsible for your suffering.

4
We file your claim with the liable companies

Your claim, as well as the documents that must accompany it, are ready for submission and it is filed with the liable companies for most types of toxic exposure and defective products.

In the case of asbestos exposure, there is an exception, your claim will be filed with the asbestos trust funds of the companies whose products you were exposed to on the job, if there is a trust fund established, if there is not, then the with the liable company. We will file your claim with each and every company responsible for your suffering so that you can receive the maximum compensation available for your injury.

If you are also a veteran, your claim will be submitted with the VA as well so that you can benefit from disability compensation and perhaps from other types of compensation the VA offers. It is important to know that filing a toxic exposure claim does not exempt you from filing a VA claim. Veterans are entitled to compensation both from the liable companies and from the VA.

5
You receive monetary compensation

Following claim submission, you will receive the maximum financial compensation you are entitled to within 3 months to one year, depending on factors such as the number of companies your claim was filed with, the claim review type, and the severity of your diagnosis.

Regarding the claim review type, you should know that expedited claim review will result in a preset sum of money, whereas individual claim review will take into consideration various factors in deciding how much money you will receive. Your attorney will decide what the best claim review type is for your particular case by taking into account factors such as your diagnosis, as it is usually cancer patients whose claims will be expedited since they need money as soon as possible to afford their treatment.

However, while you may receive more compensation via individual claim review, this approach takes longer, as the company has to assess the extent of your injury, as well as other essential factors. In contrast, you will receive compensation faster by expedited claim review, but the sum of money may not be as large.

The VA will also pay out compensation to you following claim submission in the form of monthly installments if you are a veteran who was injured by toxic exposure or by a defective product while on active duty.

Misconceptions about filing a claim

I will not have time to focus on my treatment anymore

Your health should always come first, particularly when you suffer from a serious and terrible disease such as those caused by toxic exposure or by having used a defective product. However, our legal process is simple and easy to navigate, requiring only conversations over the phone and you sending our experts the basic documents via e-mail. We can also work with your family members, who will help our legal experts obtain the medical records we need. When you work with our law firm, you will not have to worry about not having enough time for your medical appointments and treatment, as we will take care of all the legal aspects and documents for you.

Recovering compensation will take too long

While it is true that the process of preparing your claim for submission can take several months to complete, as there are numerous aspects our attorneys need to take care of, our clients generally receive compensation from the responsible companies within one year at most after claim submission. For clients who are in very poor health, we will expedite their claims, which will speed up the process considerably. Accordingly, people whose toxic exposure or product liability claims are expedited will receive their financial compensation within several months.

I do not know how I was exposed to toxic agents

The vast majority of people who are struggling with diseases stemming from toxic exposure were exposed in the workplace several decades ago. If you were diagnosed with lung conditions but do not exactly know where exposure occurred, we can help you pinpoint the exact circumstances. We already have a lot of documentation and proof about thousands of jobs and we also collaborate with occupational medicine experts, who are able to determine whether your exposure happened on the job and identify the hazardous products you were in contact with.

I cannot afford a lawyer

If you were diagnosed with life-threatening disease as a result of toxic exposure or the use of a defective product, the cost of the legal process should be your least concern. We offer consultations free of charge and work on a contingency fee basis, which means that you do not have to pay anything unless your claim is approved and we recover compensation for you. When we file a claim with the liable companies, the risk of losing money is practically non-existent. Our standard fee is a 40% contingency fee. This means that we only collect the fee when we are able to recover compensation for a client. If we do not obtain anything, our clients do not have to pay anything out of their pocket.

I am a veteran, but I do not want to sue the government

In the case of veterans exposed to toxic agents while serving in the military on active duty, it is not the government who will be held responsible if the injured person decides to file a claim. Instead, the companies that manufactured or sold the hazardous products will be held liable for your diagnosis. Veterans also have the option to seek additional financial compensation and other benefits for themselves and their families from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. By filing a VA claim after filing one for toxic exposure with the responsible companies, veterans can obtain additional monthly compensation, healthcare benefits, disability compensation, as well as dependency and indemnity compensation.

Any lawyer can help me recover compensation

Filing claims might seem a simple and easy to navigate process, but it actually requires specialized knowledge, extensive experience with the legal system, as well as a lot of careful research. Therefore, only a lawyer who handles exclusively toxic exposure and product liability cases – preferably with several years of experience – will be able to provide you with the assistance you need. Regardless of how complex your situation is, we have competent, well-versed attorneys and a legal team who will know how to attend to any unforeseen issue and speed up the claim process so that you and your family can receive the money you deserve.

Our toxic exposure claim process