Michigan Mesothelioma Lawyer

Mesothelioma is a terminal cancer with a single known cause: exposure to asbestos. Asbestos was used throughout the US for many years, including in many applications in Michigan, and thousands of people have been exposed to this substance. If you have been diagnosed with mesothelioma, it’s crucial to speak with an experienced Michigan mesothelioma lawyer at your first opportunity.

Representing Mesothelioma Cases in Michigan

The team at Kelley Ferraro, LLC has almost 30 years of experience representing clients nationwide in mesothelioma cases. We have helped more than 40,000 people recover more than $1 billion in compensation for mesothelioma and asbestos exposure-related damages, and we are ready to put this experience to work on your behalf. If you believe another party is responsible for your diagnosis, you can trust our team to help you hold them accountable.

Many attorneys do not take mesothelioma cases because of the work they require and the complexities involved. It can be very difficult to trace the source of the asbestos exposure that caused your diagnosis, but we have a wealth of experience that we can leverage on your behalf. Our firm excels at resolving complex mesothelioma cases, and we are confident we can help you reach a favorable outcome.

You have a short time to build and file your mesothelioma case in Michigan, and our team is confident we can help you take full advantage of all the legal options available to you. When you hire a mesothelioma lawyer at Kelley Ferraro, LLC, you have a legal advocate ready to address your concerns and guide you through your recovery options efficiently. The sooner you contact our team, the sooner we can get started on your case.

Asbestos Exposure and Mesothelioma in Michigan

Mesothelioma is not a very common form of cancer. Throughout the US, only about 3,000 new cases are diagnosed each year, and the health risks of asbestos exposure are now widely understood. However, despite the fact that asbestos use is tightly regulated and has declined dramatically throughout the US over the past few decades, new cases continue appearing because of exposure that happened many years ago.

Asbestos-containing materials can release asbestos fibers into the surrounding area when damaged or disturbed. These fibers are very thin, sharp, and light, so they can remain suspended in the air for long periods. Once these fibers enter the body, they will embed and gradually develop into mesothelioma. Most commonly, pleural mesothelioma forms in the lungs after asbestos fibers are inhaled, and peritoneal mesothelioma can develop in abdominal organs.

Mesothelioma has a very long latency period, often taking decades to cause noticeable symptoms. A single exposure is enough to eventually result in mesothelioma, but the risk of developing this cancer and its progression rate can increase with repeated exposure, as well as due to genetic predisposition to cancer. Once the first symptoms appear, the disease will already be in an advanced stage.

This is an incurable and terminal form of cancer. Once diagnosed, the patient’s treatment typically focuses on slowing the spread of the cancer as much as possible, managing their symptoms, and maintaining quality of life as much as possible. The average five-year survival rate for localized mesothelioma is only 23%, and this drops to 11% when the mesothelioma has spread to distant parts of the body.

Building a Mesothelioma Case in Michigan

One of the most challenging aspects of a mesothelioma case is accurately determining the most likely source of the asbestos exposure that caused the disease. Throughout Michigan, many people who worked in various industries were exposed for years, not only by performing their job duties and handling asbestos-containing materials, but also by living and working in buildings containing asbestos.

Your Michigan mesothelioma attorney at Kelley Ferraro, LLC can help you determine the most likely source of your exposure. We can review your employment history and cross-reference this with known asbestos exposure risks across Michigan to help you determine when, where, and how you were most likely exposed. Once we have pinpointed the source of your mesothelioma, this will inform us of your legal options.

Many US companies have been required to establish mesothelioma injury trusts to compensate those adversely affected by their asbestos-containing products. If you trace the source of your condition to one of these companies, you could be eligible to file a claim with their mesothelioma injury trust. A Michigan mesothelioma lawyer can guide you through the claim-filing process and help you secure as much compensation as possible.

When you have been exposed to asbestos at your current job, this qualifies as a work-related illness and may enable you to claim workers’ compensation benefits through your employer. Workers’ compensation may be relatively limited in what it can provide, and it is unlikely to fully compensate all mesothelioma-related damages, but this is still worth exploring if it’s an available option for you.

If you have grounds to file a mesothelioma personal injury case against a specific party, this option offers the greatest chance of securing appropriate compensation for your damages. When a specific party’s negligence, misconduct, or regulatory noncompliance caused your asbestos exposure, an experienced Michigan mesothelioma lawyer can help you build a personal injury case against them, seeking compensation for all related economic and non-economic damages.

Claiming Compensation for Mesothelioma

When you are eligible to file a personal injury case against a specific party, your attorney can help you prove that they are directly responsible for the asbestos exposure that caused your condition and help you prove the full scope of the resulting damages. A personal injury plaintiff has the right to claim compensation for any economic losses the defendant inflicted, such as medical treatment costs and lost income, if their diagnosis forces them to quit working.

Your Michigan mesothelioma lawyer at Kelley Ferraro, LLC can calculate immediate medical expenses for cancer treatment and therapeutic care you need to manage your condition. It’s also possible to claim compensation for palliative care that will be necessary in the future. While many mesothelioma diagnoses happen later in life, usually after retirement, if your diagnosis forces you to quit working sooner than expected, you can claim lost earning capacity.

A plaintiff may also seek compensation for their pain and suffering. Mesothelioma symptoms can be very painful and debilitating, and the side effects of cancer treatment are notoriously challenging. Additionally, receiving a terminal diagnosis comes as a major psychological shock. Your Michigan mesothelioma lawyer will be an invaluable asset in securing as much compensation as possible for your pain and suffering.

In some mesothelioma cases, defendants are required to pay punitive damages to reflect the severity of their actions. The court may order punitive damages in response to egregious negligence, refusal to comply with regulations in a way that caused the plaintiff’s condition, or any type of willful misconduct, such as attempting to conceal a known asbestos exposure risk. Your attorney can explain how any such factors may influence your case.

How Your Michigan Mesothelioma Lawyer Can Help

Receiving a mesothelioma diagnosis is life-changing in several ways, and you have limited time to build and file an inherently complex case. Proving the source of the asbestos exposure that caused your condition can be very difficult without an attorney’s help, so it’s crucial to hire a mesothelioma lawyer as soon as possible after your diagnosis.

When you choose Kelley Ferraro, LLC to represent you, we will immediately begin investigating and gathering the evidence you need to prove liability. We’ll help you determine the most likely sources of asbestos exposure, identify the party or parties responsible, and calculate all of the damages you are eligible to claim. Our goal in every mesothelioma case is to help our client secure as much compensation as possible and to do so as efficiently as possible.

We can help you explore recovery options, such as a claim with a mesothelioma injury trust or a workers’ compensation claim through your employer. We can also assist you with filing a personal injury case against the specific party responsible for your asbestos exposure. We are trial attorneys, so we prepare every case for litigation, even if we believe it can be settled. This strategy strengthens our client’s negotiating position.

You may be concerned about your ability to pay for legal representation in light of your medical expenses and other losses resulting from your diagnosis. We take mesothelioma personal injury cases on a contingency basis, meaning there is no upfront cost to hire our firm. Instead, we charge a percentage of the total compensation recovered from the defendant, only if we succeed with the case. If we’re unable to obtain compensation for you, there is no fee.

Ultimately, any mesothelioma case in Michigan can present numerous complex challenges that you may not be able to resolve on your own. You’re more likely to prove liability and recover appropriate compensation if you hire a mesothelioma lawyer you can trust to represent you. The team at Kelley Ferraro, LLC is ready to help with every step of your case, so contact us today to schedule your free consultation with an experienced Michigan mesothelioma lawyer.