Section 524(g) of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code was set up to protect the rights of victims of asbestos-related illness should the asbestos manufacturers who injured them go bankrupt. If asbestos claims didn’t survive bankruptcy, companies who produced dangerous products or negligently exposed their workers to lethal cancers could have shed those debt through periodic reorganization.
Study: firefighters' mesothelioma risk twice the national average
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, or NIOSH, just completed a major study on the risk faced by firefighters of contracting mesothelioma and other cancers. Unfortunately, the study found the group suffers from all forms of cancer at a higher rate than the national average. And, for the first time, the study documented the long-suspected increased risk of mesothelioma among firefighters.
Lawsuits claim Berkshire Hathaway wrongly delays asbestos payouts
Scripps News recently released the results of an extensive, nationwide investigation into allegations that some victims of illnesses caused by asbestos and other pollutants were experiencing suspicious delays in the payment of their compensation. Surprisingly, the first thing Scripps learned was that Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Inc. is one of the biggest players in toxic pollution litigation.
Asbestos found in proposed iron mine -- would workers be at risk?
Gogebic Taconite, a subsidiary of Cline Resource and Development Group, has made preliminary steps toward the development of a $1.5-billion taconite, or iron ore, mine near Ashland, Wisconsin. The project had already sparked controversy over its possible environmental impact, because the local geology suggests the presence of sulfide rock. If released into local streams and wetlands, opponents say, it could harm waterways and downstream habitats.
New Illinois asbestos-lung cancer suit against 65 defendants
The Gori Law Firm recently filed a lawsuit against 65 companies on behalf of an Illinois couple. The husband believes he developed asbestos lung cancer through exposure to the deadly fiber through a number of different products over the course of his 37-year career. The companies responsible for his exposure knew about the risks but failed to take the basic, reasonable steps that would have prevented his illness.
