For decades, men and women across the country went about working for their employers or serving their country in the military, all the while unknowingly being exposed to a deadly substance: asbestos. Unlike exposure to other workplace or environmental toxins such as benzene or carbon monoxide, asbestos exposure typically doesn’t cause any immediate symptoms.

In today’s asbestos feed, the overwhelming issue of note is asbestos in schools

Our country has seen significant change in federal and state tort laws over the past two decades. In some places, major changes include damage caps, shortened statutes of limitations, and causations standards that highly favor the defendant.

Damage caps are one type of tort reform that can significantly affect your mesothelioma lawsuit. They vary widely by state; some states have no damage caps in place but others, such as Texas, have damage caps for both economic and non-economic damages.

Given the news headlines over the last couple of years, most Americans can agree that corporate greed seems to be worse than ever; and many of us guess that what we’re seeing is just the tip of the iceberg.

The success the tort reform movement has seen thus far is based primarily on the movement’s widespread use of propaganda to dupe the general public.

You may have seen or heard ads about tort reform sponsored by nonprofit organizations. The organizations responsible for these ads seem to be part of a grassroots movement to stem the tide of frivolous lawsuits and therefore the amount taxpayers have to spend for the legal system.

Tort reform is any attempt to reduce or limit the ability of an injured party to seek compensation in a civil lawsuit. Individuals in favor of tort reform argue that limitations placed on civil wrongs help reduce the glut of frivolous lawsuits that occur each year. They also see tort reform as a way to reduce high costs associated with the U.S. tort system and claim that tort reform will reduce the cost consumers pay for insurance, health care and products.

As you know from our What is Tort Reform blog post, tort reform is an attempt to limit an individual’s right to seek financial compensation for wrongs done to them by another individual or organization. Those on the side of tort reform are attempting to change or limit how tort law was meant to work when it was provided for in both the United States Constitution and in every state constitution.

Tort reform has been a heated topic of debate for quite some time among legal professionals in the United States. For those on the outskirts of the debate, understanding the issues that come along with tort reform can be a little confusing at first.

Choosing a mesothelioma lawyer that can best represent you or your family member can be a difficult decision. Because the average mesothelioma settlement is $1 million, and the average trial award is $6 million or more, your family’s financial security in the face of medical expenses, lost benefits and more is at stake.