Even though asbestos is no longer used in manufacturing or other industries – and even though asbestos claims in general have dropped – mesothelioma legal claims continue to rise in the United States.
A report from the website KCIC highlights the number of mesothelioma claims and asbestos lung cancer claims through the first half of 2022. The data is from Jan. 1, 2022 through the end of July.
Asbestos legal claims include lawsuits and asbestos trust fund claims. Lawsuits are when the asbestos company is still active, and asbestos trust funds are when the company filed for bankruptcy.
Asbestos can cause mesothelioma, lung cancer, ovarian cancer, asbestosis (non-cancer disease) and others. The majority of legal claims from asbestos exposure are for mesothelioma cancer. According to KCIC, 51% of the claims filed in the first half of 2022 were for mesothelioma. This percentage increased from 49% in the first half of 2021.
These figures show that asbestos exposure victims are still holding companies accountable for their malicious acts. If you have mesothelioma or asbestos lung cancer, consider filing a legal claim. Talk with our patient advocate team, starting with Carl Jewett, available by email at cjewett@mesotheliomaguide.com.
Explaining the Drop in Asbestos Legal Claims
KCIC reports a drop of nearly 3% in all asbestos claims. This figure includes:
- Mesothelioma legal claims
- Asbestos lung cancer claims
- Other cancer claims (ovarian cancer, for instance)
- Non-cancer claims (asbestosis)
The reason for the drop was a massive drop in the number of asbestos lung cancer claims. Asbestos lung cancer claims dropped by 16.6% from the first half of 2021 to the first half of 2022. There were 799 asbestos lung cancer claims in the first seven months of 2021 and 666 in the first seven months of 2022.
The challenge for lung cancer claims is asbestos isn’t the only possible cause. Smoking and genetics are other causes and they are credited with the majority of lung cancer claims. Proving that asbestos is the cause of a patient’s lung cancer can be challenging.
Asbestos lung cancer is the only category that had a drop in legal claims for the first half of 2022.
Mesothelioma Claims Continue to Rise
Mesothelioma legal claims have increased slightly, and they make up the majority of all asbestos claims. Mesothelioma claims increased 2.6% (955 in the first half of 2021 to 980 in the first half of 2022).
Mesothelioma claims were at a 4-year peak in 2019. There were 1,135 claims filed in the first half of 2019. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit and many court systems shut down or went to virtual proceedings, the number of asbestos claims dropped dramatically. The total number of filings decreased from nearly 2,200 in 2019 to 1,790 in 2020.
Mesothelioma claims dropped to 964 in the first half of 2020 but have stabilized around that number since then.
Sources & Author
- KCIC mid-year report: Madison and St. Clair counties are top asbestos jurisdictions. KCIC. Retrieved from: https://madisonrecord.com/stories/635276975-kcic-mid-year-report-madison-and-st-clair-counties-are-top-asbestos-jurisdictions. Accessed: 11/28/2022.
Sources & Author
