How Much is a Mesothelioma Settlement?
Contrary to what you may see on television advertising, mesothelioma settlements are not millions of dollars. The truth behind how much compensation a person who has been diagnosed with mesothelioma can receive is discussed here.
When we hear American settlement amounts on the news they sound large. This is since settlements are reported in gross values, not actual paid amounts. American Judgments are rarely actually paid. A small portion of the claim may be paid in cash, an annuity or promise of future payment. It’s all designed to make you believe that injured people seeking compensation through the court or administrative systems in the USA are getting so much compensation for a similar injury or disease. Reality is a little different.
The low end of compensation available to mesothelioma victims is $17,850.00 USD. That’s the sad truth. For those that do not know where they were exposed to asbestos and cannot document any company exposure there is only one asbestos trust fund that will pay anything.
That is why it is important to have a law firm that understands what questions to ask and delve into your history to track down where you were exposed. It may be necessary to talk to family members if you were exposed as a child and do not know the details. If you have been diagnosed with mesothelioma you were exposed to asbestos, the question arises, where?
Often even those that worked with asbestos containing products are not aware of that fact. Asbestos was included in many products during the manufacturing process and is not identifiable to the naked eye. Concrete for example; before 1982 many cement products contained asbestos.
Maybe your older brother had a summer job during university as a roofer. Roofing material contained asbestos. Or your aunt worked at a textile mill and babysat you when you were an infant. All possible sources of exposure must be explored.
The more exposure that can be identified and documented, the higher your anticipated compensation.
When you retain an experienced law firm to help you get compensation for your disease they will ask many questions and gather as much information about your exposure as possible. By having conversations, unexpected information can be identified and researched. If the law firm you are considering does not want to take the time to have those initial conversations or tells you that you will receive high compensation without asking you any questions, hire another firm. By setting unrealistic expectations law firms hope you will retain them only to be disappointed later, once you are stuck with their representation.
There are 60 active asbestos compensation trusts that pay mesothelioma victims who were exposed to their products. Not all asbestos products were used in all industries or areas of the country so compensation from each of the trusts is unrealistic. Having an experienced Canadian asbestos mesothelioma law firm means you will get maximum compensation. At Brown Law, we have our own data base of products used at various site in Canada. This means we may already know what Trusts to apply to for compensation for your exposure.
The Asbestos compensation trusts pay varying amounts from $1,200 to $60,000. While this sounds like a pittance which will never make up for the damage done to your family, these amounts are not taxable income in Canada and can go a long way to financial stability for spouses left with lowered pension income.
If you want to discuss your compensation options, please contact us by telephone at 877.430.3383 extension 224 at any time. If you prefer contact through our web site that option is available to you by filling our contact form.