Mesothelioma Settlements

Even if you file a mesothelioma lawsuit and the case starts moving along, odds are it will end the way most of them do – with a settlement. In fact, in some lawsuits settlement negotiations begin as soon as a complaint is filed and the defending company becomes aware it has been accused of wrongdoing.

The reason for so many settlements is easy enough to understand. Both sides want something, and a settlement is the fastest way for both sides to get their way.

Plaintiffs want money, compensation for having to fight mesothelioma cancer because ofasbestos exposure. Defendants usually want to get the claim out of the way quickly and at a minimum cost. Fighting asbestos-related lawsuits can get expensive, and there is no guarantee that the court fight will be a winning one.

How Much Are Mesothelioma Settlements Worth?

The question everyone wants to know is: How much money can you expect when settling an asbestos-related lawsuit? The answer: It depends. Settlements can range from moderate amounts to incredibly large amounts – of millions of dollars. Because many settlements are never made public, it’s helpful instead to look at court awards. Some of the highest court awards include these cases:

• $250 million was awarded to 70-year-old Roby Whittington from U.S. Steel after being diagnosed with mesothelioma
• $34.1 million was won by a previous employee of Shell Oil Company in Wood River, Illinoisafter the plaintiff developed pleural mesothelioma
• $33.7 million was awarded to the wife of a California resident from Foster Wheeler Corporation in a wrongful death lawsuit

Not every asbestos-related lawsuit results in such high settlements. Most settlements are tied to the cost of medical expenses, lost wages and other costs built up from fighting an asbestos-related illness. They are also tied to the facts of the case itself. For instance, whether a company knowingly exposed an employee to asbestos and did not protect the employee or make the worker aware of potential exposure. In those kinds of cases, multi-million dollar settlements are possible.

Whether you can recover more money from a trial verdict or from a settlement is difficult to determine. Again, the circumstances of your case will dictate the outcome.