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In most California mesothelioma cases, you only have one year from your diagnosis to file an asbestos lawsuit. This limits your time, especially when you are concentrating on seeking the best medical treatment available. Our mesothelioma lawyers can focus on your legal claim while you concentrate on your recovery. Contact us today to schedule a free consultation.

San Francisco California Mesothelioma Treatment

Many San Francisco residents turn to premier cancer treatment at the University of California San Francisco Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center. This center is the only National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center in northern California. The center provides a radiation oncology clinic that integrates evidence-based medicine along with emergent care techniques. Gamma knife radiation therapy and intensity-modulated radiation therapy are just two treatment options available here. The center receives hundreds of millions of dollars to help fund cancer research, which as resulted in it being involved in more than 1,000 investigative clinical trials. Annually, the center treats more than 763,000 patients on an outpatient basis. There is space for treatment of 700 inpatient clients at any given time. The hospital consistently ranks as one of the best hospitals in the nation by consumer reviews.

Navy Veterans & Mesothelioma in San Francisco California

There are hundreds of job sites across San Francisco, California where workers may have been exposed to asbestos. However, Hunters Point Naval Shipyard has had a long history of using asbestos and has been ruled against in several cases, resulting in sizable verdicts for San Francisco residents. The shipyard was built in 1869 as the first dry dock on the Pacific Coast. The Navy used the shipyard exclusively for shipbuilding, repair and maintenance during World War I. Asbestos was used during this era in many shipbuilding operations, causing a disproportionate number of shipworkers to develop mesothelioma when compared to all industries as a whole. The shipyard was later used to repair and test submarines. Because of asbestos and other contaminants found at the site, the Environmental Protection Agency added the shipyard to its Superfund list. It was shut down in 1991. Cleanup efforts removed approximately 226,000 square feet of materials contaminated by asbestos.

Mesothelioma & Asbestos Litigation in San Francisco California

Because San Francisco had so many potential locations where individuals could have been exposed to asbestos, it has a long history of asbestos litigation. A Superior Court judge in San Francisco said in 2004 that asbestos cases made up about one quarter of the court’s docket. Plaintiffs have included individuals who worked at shipyards, in the Navy, in boiler rooms, as contractors and in many other professions. Legal theories included strict liability, products liability, negligence and wrongful death. Results in these cases varied, ranging from $2 million to $33 million. Details of some of the cases are discussed below:

• In 2017, a retired 81-year-old longshoreman who developed pleural mesothelioma was awarded one of the largest verdicts in the state’s history after being exposed to asbestos during his time as a ship contractor.
• In 2010, Kaiser Gypsum Company was hit with a significant punitive damages award in a products liability case based on the plaintiff’s development of mesothelioma. A San Francisco jury rendered the verdict.
• In 2008, a former boiler repairman and his wife received a sizable award against Asbestos Corporation. The man was diagnosed with asbestosis associated with products manufactured by the defendant.
• In 2005, a San Francisco jury returned a verdict in favor of a 70-year-old retired machine operator and supervisor diagnosed with colon cancer caused by workplace exposure to asbestos products. The man worked with cement pipe that contained asbestos during the 1970s to 1990s. Court documents revealed the manufacturer of the cement pipe knew the dangers of asbestos and did not warn others of them until 1985. The man received a substantial award.
• In 2002, a former Navy member who worked at Hunters Point Naval Shipyard and other bases on the West Coast where he performed electrical work inside boiler rooms sued the company that designed, manufactured and supplied the boilers which had asbestos in some of their components. The man developed mesothelioma. He and his wife received one of the largest mesothelioma jury verdicts at the time.
• Another electrician who worked at Hunters Point Naval Shipyard installed resin switches manufactured by Union Carbide that contained a high composition of asbestos. After being diagnosed with mesothelioma, he sued Union Carbide. The jury found the company partially liable for the man’s illness and was required to pay a significant amount of damages.

*Please note that the above information was acquired from public sources and is no guarantee of the possible outcome of your own case. Every case is unique and affected by the specific factors involved in it. Contact a qualified mesothelioma lawyer to learn more.