History of Mesothelioma Litigation:
Lawsuits, Fraud and Conspiracy

Continued from: Mesothelioma Background
Page 1: History of Mesothelioma Litigation
See Also: Key Statistics | Causes of Mesothelioma | History of Mesothelioma  Asbestos Litigation

The first mesothelioma-related asbestos lawsuit was filed in the United States in 1966. Although this case was lost, another mesothelioma lawsuit was filed immediately for a co-worker of the first plaintiff. This case was won, and the plaintiff was awarded $80,000.

Further mesothelioma lawsuits were filed during the succeeding years. The conspiracy to hide the dangers of asbestos from the employees began to unravel, and fraud of massive proportions was uncovered. Essentially the executives and managers knew of the link between mesothelioma and asbestos, due to all the work in the U.K. and South Africa, but purposely hid this from employees.

Mesothelioma Fraud and Conspiracy

In 1978, a deposition was taken in which an asbestos plant manager divulged that the policy in the company was not to discuss chest findings or other medical results suggesting a relationship between asbestosis or mesothelioma. It was known as the "hush hush" policy. During this time period, a number of documents emerged clearly demonstrating fraud and conspiracy. The documents showed that as early as the 1930s, companies had made direct efforts to hide the hazards of asbestos.

Since fraud and conspiracy were clearly part of the strategy of these companies, the extent and latitude of the mesothelioma litigation took on a new perspective. The plaintiffs could expect to receive much larger sums from the mesothelioma lawsuits due to the punitive nature of the verdicts.

Now many of the asbestos companies have declared bankruptcy, but the courts have set aside sums of money for persons who have been damaged by the fraud and conspiracy surrounding this deadly disease.

Page 1: History of Mesothelioma Litigation
See Also: Key Statistics | Causes of Mesothelioma | History of Mesothelioma  Asbestos Litigation