Find a Mesothelioma Lawyer in Bronx, New York
Mesothelioma is a rare and deadly cancer. The only known cause is asbestos, and millions of people were exposed to asbestos during the 20th century. If you live in the Bronx, New York, or were exposed to asbestos while working or living there years ago, you may have a mesothelioma claim linked to the borough. We can help you find a top mesothelioma lawyer to handle your case and guide you through the legal process.
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Top Mesothelioma Lawyers and Law Firms in the Bronx
There are a few lawyers and law firms in the Bronx to choose from for your case. One website lists 28 law firms that advertise themselves as representing victims of asbestos exposure and asbestos cancers.
One of the issues is knowing which one is best to represent you or your loved one. We can help you find a lawyer in the Bronx, New York, or better yet, a national law firm with a license to practice law in multiple states. These firms are the best option for people suffering from mesothelioma.
Importance of Finding a National Asbestos Law Firm Licensed in the Bronx, New York
There are a few reasons why you should seek out a national asbestos law firm to take on your mesothelioma claim. The majority of lawyers working with a national law firm are licensed to practice in the state of New York, meaning they are qualified to accept cases located in Brooklyn.
Mesothelioma and asbestos claims are complex, as they often involve multiple jurisdictions. The cases are often heard by courts in the same jurisdiction as company headquarters – often in a different state than the site of exposure. If you were exposed to asbestos in Brooklyn, your case might not just involve this borough of New York City.
Hiring a national law firm is a crucial first step in filing a mesothelioma claim. National law firms are typically licensed in several states, which increase your chances of receiving appropriate mesothelioma compensation.
Mesothelioma Claims Usually Involve Multiple States
One of the first unique aspects of mesothelioma lawsuits is geography. Asbestos manufacturing companies are located in different areas. They may have manufactured and sold asbestos from one state, while you were exposed in a different state.
A national law firm will be licensed in both states and can file the claim in the area that benefits you the most. Some states are simply more favorable to the victims of asbestos exposure, while others have a history of siding with the manufacturing companies or don’t give as high of verdict payouts.
Local mesothelioma lawyers will only be licensed in that one area. So a lawyer in the Bronx will only be able to file a claim based in New York. What if it’s more beneficial to you to file the claim in a different state, such as where the company’s headquarters are located?
If you’re going to file a mesothelioma claim and begin this process, you should put yourself in the best position to succeed. This requires flexibility in where to file a claim, which requires a national law firm.
National Lawyers Have More Experience Handling Asbestos Claims
Mesothelioma lawsuits fall under the umbrella of personal injury practice. However, these types of cases are unlike any others. The malicious actions taken by corporations occurred many years ago – in most cases, between the 1940s and 1980s. As a victim of asbestos exposure, you were likely diagnosed with mesothelioma 30-50 years after you were exposed as a worker, consumer, or resident.
This means it’s difficult for regular people to trace back their history of asbestos exposure and identify which companies are at fault. Even local personal injury lawyers have a tough time doing this. Some local attorneys will claim to be mesothelioma lawyers, but they often don’t have the experience or knowledge to represent you and other victims as properly as you deserve.
This is where the value of a national mesothelioma law firm – one that handles only asbestos cases – comes into play. The top mesothelioma attorneys working at the best law firms have a long history of helping people such as yourself with asbestos claims.
Bullock Campbell Bullock & Harris are one such national firm with the history of representing mesothelioma victims with compassion, dedication and determination
No Travel Required of Patients
Your top priorities as someone fighting mesothelioma cancer are to receive treatment, talk with your doctor, enjoy your time with family, and travel for personal enjoyment. Traveling to meet with your lawyer takes time from these priorities.
The lawyers at Bullock Campbell Bullock & Harris, and other national mesothelioma law firms, understand that travel is a burden for patients and their families. This is why these lawyers will come to visit you in your hometown, or a place of your choosing. They have compassion for your suffering and want you to make the most of your time.
No Fee to Hire a National Mesothelioma Firm
The best national mesothelioma law firms also don’t require hiring fees. They work on what’s called a “contingency basis.” This means they receive payment if you win your case. They’ll receive a percentage of your mesothelioma settlement, verdict, or asbestos trust fund claim.
If you don’t receive any payment, your lawyer won’t as well. So you won’t have to worry about making any out-of-pocket payments to find the best lawyer to represent you.
Top Asbestos Lawsuit Verdicts in the Bronx
Most mesothelioma lawsuits finish with a settlement instead of a verdict. Since settlements aren’t public, there is little information about mesothelioma settlement amounts. One former carpenter in the Bronx, New York, received $3 million in a settlement after exposure to asbestos-containing floor and ceiling tiles, among other things.
There have been quite a few mesothelioma lawsuit verdicts in New York City. Bronx County Civil Court is the main courthouse in this borough. Bronx Criminal Court is another.
One asbestos case involving workers at the Brooklyn Navy Yard resulted in $104 million payment to multiple victims. A verdict of $25 million went to a former automobile brake mechanic.
How to File a Mesothelioma Claim in the Bronx
The first and most important step in filing a mesothelioma claim in the Bronx is choosing a lawyer. This decision will set the tone for your case and impact your chances of success against multi-million-dollar corporations. These companies have enough funds to hire multiple lawyers to defend them, so you need the best law firm to represent your side of the case.
After choosing an asbestos attorney, the steps of filing a claim are:
- Go through your work and residential history to see if you worked or lived anywhere with asbestos
- List the work history of your loved ones, including parents, siblings, spouses, and children, especially if you lived with them
- Determine your full asbestos exposure history
- File the claim in the appropriate jurisdiction
- Compile evidence of asbestos exposure to support your case
- Record a video testimony (deposition) if you are unable to attend the trial in person
- Discuss a settlement with your lawyer and the opposing side’s legal team
- Take the case to trial if no settlement is reached
If the company you’re filing a claim against is bankrupt, you’ll seek compensation from an asbestos trust fund. These funds were made by bankrupt asbestos companies to help future victims of their horrible business practices.
The courts ordered these funds to be created as a way of protecting victims, as many do not learn they have an asbestos cancer like mesothelioma until 20, 30, or even 40 years later.
Asbestos Exposure in the Bronx, New York
The Bronx has been home for more than a century to two versions of Yankee Stadium – built across the street from each other – and the Bronx Zoo. The Bronx Botanical Garden and Co-Op City (the largest cooperative housing development in America) are two more staples of this borough of New York.
The Bronx is also considered the poorest borough in New York City and has the highest rates of poverty. The borough has a lot of old buildings, many of which might include asbestos in the insulation, siding, floorboards, ceiling tiles and elsewhere.
There are other known locations of asbestos exposure in the Bronx. The suburban area includes a courthouse, hospital, railroad, gas company, power plant and two universities.
Here are just some of the known asbestos exposure sites in the Bronx:
- Bronx County Courthouse
- Bronx Hospital
- Con Edison – Hell Gate Power Plant
- Consolidated Gas Company of New York – Kingsbridge Station
- New York University Aerospace Lab
- New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad – Van Nest Power Station
- North Side Savings Bank, 233rd St. & White Plains Road
- Yeshiva University Rose F. Kennedy Center
At-Risk Occupations for Workers in the Bronx
The at-risk occupations for Bronx workers are linked to places where asbestos existed. So workers in the Bronx County Courthouse, Bronx Hospital, Gas Company of New York and North Side Savings Bank headline the list.
Students and teachers in the New York University Aerospace Lab and Yeshiva University Rose F. Kennedy Center are others who were probably exposed.
A few more at-risk workers and groups of people in the Bronx are:
- Power plant workers
- Railroad workers
- Power station workers
- Construction and insulation workers
- Electricians
The Bronx Asbestos Laws and Regulations
In March 2024, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) banned ongoing uses of chrysotile asbestos. The ban prevents chrysotile asbestos from being imported, manufactured, distributed, sold, or used in the United States. Chrysotile asbestos is the most common of the six types and the only type reportedly still used for rare purposes. More than 60 countries have a ban.
The only additional regulation for asbestos in the Bronx is the same one for all of New York: All work that may disturb asbestos must be done by trained and licensed workers. The complete New York State Asbestos Regulation is on the State Department of Health website for you or others to read.
Fortunately, even before the EPA’s ban on chrysotile asbestos, the use of asbestos has been heavily regulated for several years. The use of any type of asbestos has also largely been phased out due to the onslaught of lawsuits against certain manufacturing companies. One of the only industries still using it regularly is chlor-alkali. This industry makes chlorine, hydrogen and other chemicals. The EPA’s ban allows chlor-alkali plants a few years to transition away from chrysotile asbestos to an alternative.
The talc cosmetic industry also uses it but is under scrutiny due to consumers of talc baby powder getting cancer. Johnson & Johnson is linked to mesothelioma due to talc and asbestos sharing soil in the same geographical areas.
Companies in other industries have found alternatives to using asbestos.
Governing Bodies Overseeing Asbestos in the Bronx
There is one major government agency that oversees asbestos projects, including abatement and removal, in the Bronx and other New York boroughs: the New York State Department of Health. This department oversees all asbestos projects in the state. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is the national government agency but mostly makes laws regarding the banning or regulation of asbestos imports and manufacturing.
Asbestos in the Bronx, New York may also be managed by the:
- Occupational Safety and Health Administration – Safeguards workers in many industries from dangerous exposure to asbestos by limiting how much asbestos can be in the airspace, even though there is no safe limit of asbestos exposure
- New York State Department of Environmental Conservation – Oversees transporting and disposing of asbestos debris to solid waste landfills after work is done to remove or repair asbestos in buildings or other properties in the Bronx
- New York City Department of Environmental Protection – Part of the effort to make the environment safe from toxins such as asbestos and protect residents from exposure
- New York State Department of Labor – Issues licenses and certifications for workers to perform asbestos maintenance or removal in the Bronx
According to the Department of Health, specific trades and occupations workers are certified to handle asbestos and be near asbestos in the present day. They include: asbestos handler; air sampling technician; management planner; inspector; supervisor; and project designer. These jobs do not account for all of the occupations that handled asbestos during the 20th century when there were not nearly as many regulations.
Statute of Limitations for Asbestos Claims in the Bronx
Civil claims and lawsuits are regulated by a law called statute of limitations. Each state decides the statute of limitations for cases filed in the state. New York’s statute of limitations is three (3) years for personal injury claims and two (2) years for wrongful death lawsuits.
Mesothelioma cases are different from other personal injury claims. The statute of limitations usually starts once the victim is wronged or harm is caused. This description would apply to when a company’s business practices expose an employee, consumer or someone else to asbestos.
However, exposure to asbestos does not immediately result in mesothelioma cancer. Most people exposed to asbestos never develop mesothelioma. This type of cancer takes at least a decade after asbestos enters the body to develop and sometimes up to 50 years.
The problem is the New York statute of limitations would’ve expired long before someone is diagnosed with mesothelioma and harmed by the asbestos they were exposed to years ago. So the statute of limitations for personal injury claims begins once the victim is diagnosed with mesothelioma.
The statute of limitations for mesothelioma wrongful death claims starts once the victim passes away or the family learns through an autopsy that their loved one died of mesothelioma.
Hiring a lawyer at a top mesothelioma law firm will take care of the statute of limitations. The best attorneys know how much time there is to file a claim and won’t let it expire.
Before choosing a local lawyer in the Bronx, please consider a national lawyer from a firm such as Bullock Campbell Bullock & Harris. If you want help choosing a lawyer for your mesothelioma claim, contact the Mesothelioma Guide legal team today and we’ll make the process easier for you.
New York Mesothelioma Laws & Law Firms by City
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