In a recent case in New York, a judge has ruled that eight plaintiffs in three trials will be grouped into one trial. The judge claims that the interests involved in the cases are similar and, therefore, can be tried in a single lawsuit. The defendants further argued that, when cases are combined, juries tend to award higher settlements.
According to a Bates White study of jury verdicts awarded between 2000-2014, the average solo plaintiff award is $7 million. However, when a plaintiff is combined with others, the average award is $24 million.
In this particular case, two of the plaintiffs were suing over contracting mesothelioma due to asbestos exposure and one was suing after allegedly contracting lung cancer due to asbestos exposure.
Asbestos is a naturally-occurring compound that is extremely heat-resistant. Because of this, it has been used in a variety of applications for over a century. In the 1930s, employers were warned that the use of asbestos could be harmful because inhaling its particles could cause health problems. However, many employers continued to use asbestos without protecting their employees. This has caused a huge upsurge of mesothelioma, a rare and terminal form of cancer that can attack the lining of the lungs, heart, abdomen, or testicles.
Help From Our Baltimore Mesothelioma Attorneys
If you’ve been diagnosed with mesothelioma and believe that it may due to the fact that you were exposed to asbestos, contact our attorneys at The Law Office of Brown | Kiely, LLP today so we can help you. Our attorneys have been helping members of our community seek damages in their asbestos and mesothelioma cases for decades. Contact us today by filling out the form on this page or calling us at (410) 625-9330.
