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Legal Options for El Paso Mesothelioma Victims and Their Family

El Paso patients who have mesothelioma may have several legal options available to them, including filing a claim against an asbestos trust or filing a lawsuit against a responsible defendant. It is important to talk to a legal professional about these options. Our compassionate lawyers can help you determine the legal strategy to use that works best for the circumstances surrounding your case. They can explain the next steps to you. However, they are more than just legal consultants. They will work closely with you and your family regarding all aspects of your situation, not just the legal side. They will help determine if insurance will pay for your care and what options are available to provide for your loved ones while your case is pending.

Contact our Lawyers and Advocates Today.

Why You Should File a Mesothelioma Claim or Lawsuit

Texas has a two-year statute of limitations. This means that after learning of your mesothelioma, you have only two years to file a lawsuit. Your lawyer will need time to find out how you were exposed to asbestos investigate and who was responsible for your disease. So, it is very important to quickly pursue your claim so that it is not barred by the statute of limitations.

If you win your claim or case, you may be able to receive compensation for the damages that you sustained, such as:

• Medical expenses
• Ongoing medical needs
• Prescription medications
• Lost wages
• Lost earning capacity
• Burial expenses
• Funeral expenses
• Pain and suffering
• Loss of companionship

An experienced mesothelioma lawyer can help gather evidence regarding your claim and assess the potential value of your claim. He or she can then pursue maximum recovery on your behalf.

A lawsuit or claim is also a way to hold companies accountable for their actions. In many asbestos cases, it is revealed that the manufacturers were aware of the dangers of their products and still continued to use them. A legal action is almost always the only way to hold a company responsible for its actions and to seek justice against the company.

About Your Lawyer’s Location

Your mesothelioma attorney may not need to be in the same location as you to represent you. The case may not be filed in El Paso. There may be reasons to file in another venue, such as the location where the company was headquartered or where you worked. Your attorney can attend a court in El Paso on your behalf if your case goes to trial. A qualified mesothelioma attorney can travel to you.

Key Characteristics to Look for in Your El Paso Mesothelioma Attorney

Some of the characteristics that you should look in your El Paso mesothelioma attorney include the following:

• Experience in mesothelioma cases – Asbestos and mesothelioma cases are often quite complex. They require the assistance of someone with specialized knowledge and experience in bringing them, as well as someone who has experience with asbestos trust fund claims and VA disability benefit claims.
• Proven track record – It is also important to select an attorney who has a proven track record of winning mesothelioma and asbestos cases through litigation and sizable settlements.
• Trial experience – Although most asbestos cases do not go to trial, it is still important that your lawyer has a history of litigating cases so that defendants and their insurance companies will have an incentive to offer a fair settlement.
• Comfortable talking with you – You will be sharing intimate details about health and your work, so it is important that you can talk to your attorney.
• Willing to travel on your behalf – Your mesothelioma attorney should be willing to travel to see you and to court on your behalf.
• Knowledgeable about case values – Your attorney should be able to estimate the potential value of your claim based on the specific facts of your case.
  1. Can evaluate your potential compensation based on case facts

El Paso Mesothelioma Treatment Centers

El Paso residents often turn to the following medical centers for treatment for mesothelioma:

The Hospitals of Providence

The Hospitals of Providence is the city’s most comprehensive cancer care program. It is accredited by the American College of Surgeons as an integrated network program. It relies on board-certified and specialized physicians, as well as certified nurses and social workers.

It offers disease-specific programs for liver, biliary duct, pancreatic and lung cancer. It provides medical services for every stage of cancer treatment, from diagnosis to surgery, as well as treatment and a full range of support services. It completes genetic testing and cancer high risk screening. It also offers access to full-service infusion centers. The network uses a multidisciplinary approach in which surgical, radiation oncologists and medical professionals work together with pathologists, radiologists and nutritionists. The center has provided cancer care to El Paso residents for more than 50 years.

El Paso Cancer Treatment Center Gateway

The El Paso Cancer Treatment Center Gateway is part of Texas Oncology. This center allows El Paso patients to benefit from the ample resources of Texas Oncology while being able to receive local care. The center provides services throug chemotherapy, radiation therapy, laboratory services and diagnostic imaging. The center participates in groundbreaking research. It also provides patients with extensive patient support services, including financial counseling, educational services, genetic risk evaluation and testing, pharmacy services and social services.

El Paso Mesothelioma Clinical Trials

The Hospitals of Providence provide access to clinical trials. Eligibility for these trials depends on a number of factors, including your diagnosis, stage of your disease, medical history, age and other factors. Talk to your physician to determine if you might be eligible for one of their clinical trials.

The El Paso Cancer Treatment Center Gateway advances research that leads to new breakthroughs in cancer care. Clinical trials are sometimes made available to Texas Oncology patients in El Paso.

El Paso Military Veterans with Mesothelioma

El Paso is home to Fort Bliss, which is a United States Army installation. It was established in 1848.

The El Paso VA Health Care System provides primary and behavioral health care, ambulatory surgery and specialty services to veterans throughout the El Paso area and surrounding counties. It has an eight-room ambulatory surgical suite, as well as affiliation agreements for residency programs in internal medicine and psychiatry that are administered through agreements with Texas Tech and WBAMC. n addition to the VA doctors, the system also uses consultants and fee-basis specialists.

El Paso Asbestos Site Exposure List

El Paso residents who worked at the following El Paso companies or job sites may have been exposed to dangerous levels of asbestos:

• Acme Laundry Company
• Alamogordo Lumber Company
• American Lumber & Treating Corporation
• American Smelting & Refinery Company
• AP Green Refractories Company
• Asarco Inc
• Babcock & Wilcox
• Border Steel Mill
• Carter Lathing & Plastering
• Chevron Refinery
• Consumers Ice and Cold Storage Company
• Copper Queen Cons. Mining Company
• Darbyshire-Harvey Iron and Machine and Company
• El Paso Brick Company
• El Paso Electric Company
• El Paso Electric Railway Company
• El Paso Ice and Refrigerator Company
• El Paso Milling Company Ltd.
• Falstaff Brewing Corp
• Fluor Corporation
• Fort Bliss Army Base
• Frontier Roofing
• Gulf
• Harry Mitchell Brewing Company
• International Light and Power Company
• Landmark Station Powerhouse
• Mcnutt Oil Refining
• Nichols Copper Company
• Pasotex Petroleum Company
• Peyton Packing Company
• Phelps Dodge Refining Corporation
• Rio Grande Power Station
• Southern Pacific Railroad
• Southern Paperboard Company
• Southwestern Portland Cement Company
• Standard Oil Company of Texas
• Swift Packing Company
• Texaco Oil Refinery
• United States Army War Department
• Western Gas Company
• Wyler Industrial Works

El Paso Courts Where Mesothelioma and Asbestos Cases Are Tried and Settled

The 327^th and 448^th District Courts frequently receive filed complaints regarding asbestos and mesothelioma. The Texas Western District Court, El Paso is a federal trial court that can hear cases brought in federal court.

The 8^th District Court of Appeals in El Paso can hear cases that are appealed from the trial level.

Example El Paso Mesothelioma Verdicts and Awards

News reporting on El Paso courts have shown sizeable awards regarding mesothelioma and asbestos exposure, including the following which have been handled by unrelated law firms:

• An El Paso award resulted in a substantial outcome against Kelly Moore Paint Company for an asbestos sufferer and his family. The 47-year-old was a construction worker who was exposed to asbestos from a joint compound product. The award included $15 million in punitive damages.
• A massive mesothelioma verdict was reached out of El Paso against U.S. Gypsum and National Gypsum.
• The family of a former refinery worker was awarded huge sum in damages by an El Paso County jury in 2004 against an El-Paso based defendant company. The man had handled a powdered insulation that contained asbestos intending to protect furnaces, pipes and boilers from 1948 until the 1980s. He was diagnosed with mesothelioma in 2002 and died seven months later at the age of 77. The award included a little over half in compensatory damages and the rest in punitive damages. The family had also received undisclosed amounts from other defendants through settlement agreements.
• An El Paso award was made against Pittsburgh Corning due to asbestos exposure.

Contact our experienced Texas Mesothelioma Lawyers and Advocates Today.