California Mesothelioma Lawyer
Our California mesothelioma lawyers have been advocating for people affected by asbestos-related diseases for over 20 years. If you or someone you love has received a mesothelioma diagnosis, The Gori Law Firm is ready to stand by your side. With billions of dollars recovered for our clients, we have what it takes to pursue the results you and your family deserve.
We represent clients throughout California from our office at 3848 West Carson Street, Suite 350, in Torrance. Call us today at 618-659-9833 for a free consultation about your mesothelioma case.
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- Why Choose Our New York Mesothelioma Lawyers?
- Our Asbestos and Mesothelioma Case Results
- We Serve Clients Across New York
- What You Need to Know About Filing a Mesothelioma Lawsuit in New York
- Our New York Mesothelioma Attorneys
- Asbestos Exposure and Mesothelioma in New York
- What Compensation Is Available for Asbestos Exposure in New York?
- How Much Time Do I Have to File a Mesothelioma Claim in New York?
- Where to File Your New York Mesothelioma Lawsuit
- Contact Our New York Mesothelioma Lawyers
Why Choose Our California Mesothelioma Lawyers?
With over 100 years of combined legal experience, our attorneys have dedicated their careers to helping people harmed by asbestos exposure. Since 2008, we’ve recovered over $4 billion for clients nationwide, including many facing the life-altering impact of a mesothelioma diagnosis.
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Our Asbestos and Mesothelioma Case Results
The compensation recovered through a mesothelioma claim can provide lasting financial security for a victim and their family. Our attorneys secured significant settlements and verdicts by pursuing results that reflect the full impact of the disease on our clients’ lives.
What Our New York Clients Say
Our clients turn to us during an incredibly difficult time. Their reviews show how seriously we take that responsibility.
We Have the Resources to Identify Asbestos Exposure Sources and Liable Parties in California
Mesothelioma takes decades to develop after a person’s initial asbestos exposure. By the time someone receives a diagnosis, the evidence proving their exposure may be 20 to 60 years old. Our attorneys have the resources to handle the challenges of investigating complex exposure histories and build strong cases for victims and their families.
Through decades of asbestos litigation, we’ve developed extensive knowledge of the job sites, asbestos-containing products, and manufacturers behind Californians’ mesothelioma claims. We also have access to third-party experts who can provide further insight into the industrial practices that may have led to your asbestos exposure.
What Our Mesothelioma Attorneys Can Do for You
Your family has enough to manage after a mesothelioma diagnosis. We’re here to make this time easier for you by handling every aspect of the legal process, including:
- Listening to your concerns and explaining your legal options in plain language
- Investigating your asbestos exposure and determining where, when, and how you were exposed
- Identifying the companies that may be responsible for your exposure and determining the right avenue for pursuing compensation
- Gathering evidence to support your exposure history and your resulting illness
- Documenting the effects of your mesothelioma and calculating your case’s value
- Filing your claim or lawsuit before important deadlines hit
- Communicating with the parties involved and negotiating a fair settlement on your behalf
- Representing you at trial, if necessary
- Keeping you updated on developments as they arise
We Serve Clients Across California
We understand that traveling may be difficult while undergoing mesothelioma treatment or coping with the loss of a loved one. Our attorneys can travel to you and meet with you at your home, a medical facility, or another convenient location. We serve clients across California, including:
- Los Angeles
- San Diego
- San Jose
- San Francisco
- Fresno
- Sacramento
- Long Beach
- Oakland
- Bakersfield
- Anaheim
Spotlight on California Mesothelioma Lawyer Dimitri Nichols
Dimitri Nichols
Attorney
Dimitri Nichols was born and raised in California. He graduated from UCLA in 2001, earned his J.D. from Loyola Law School in 2005, and has been licensed to practice law in California since 2006.
Mr. Nichols now represents asbestos victims from our Los Angeles office in Torrance and has won numerous seven- and eight-figure verdicts for his clients over his 15+ years with the firm. He’s received the Super Lawyers Rising Star award multiple years in a row for his excellence in asbestos litigation.
Asbestos Exposure and Mesothelioma in California
Asbestos exposure is the cause of nearly all mesothelioma cases. When someone develops this rare cancer, the evidence often points to exposure that occurred decades earlier.
Companies used asbestos widely throughout the 20th century in shipyards, oil refineries, power plants, factories, aerospace facilities, and other industrial settings across California. Service members also faced asbestos exposure aboard U.S. Navy ships and at military installations throughout the state. Individuals who worked in construction, plumbing, electrical repair, insulation installation, and other occupations involving close contact with asbestos-containing materials also face an elevated risk of developing mesothelioma.
Even people who did not work in high-risk industries could be exposed to asbestos. Many old buildings contained asbestos, and basic repairs could disturb it and release fibers into the air. Family members could also inhale asbestos fibers that workers carried home on their clothing, hair, or equipment, resulting in secondary asbestos exposure.
EPA Chrysotile Asbestos Ban and California Workplace Protections
In 2024, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, or EPA, finalized a rule that phases out all ongoing uses of chrysotile asbestos under the Toxic Substances Control Act. However, the rule doesn’t remove asbestos already installed in California industrial plants, shipyards, oil refineries, and commercial structures. As a result, many workers may continue to encounter asbestos during maintenance, renovation, or demolition.
California law aims to reduce this risk by requiring building owners and employers to determine where asbestos-containing materials may be present and notify affected workers before work begins. Employers may also need to restrict access to areas where asbestos exposure may occur, post warning signs, monitor the air, and stop work when they identify unaddressed hazards.
The date of the exposure doesn’t necessarily determine whether a worker can pursue compensation. While a large majority of asbestos claims involve exposure that occurred decades ago, workers who encounter legacy asbestos today may also have the right to seek compensation if they later develop mesothelioma.
California Mesothelioma Compensation Options
At The Gori Law Firm, we help mesothelioma victims and their families investigate their exposure histories and pursue every available source of compensation. Depending on your circumstances, this may include a lawsuit, trust fund claim, VA claim, or wrongful death action. In many cases, it may be possible to pursue multiple options simultaneously, which may increase the compensation you’re entitled to.
Mesothelioma Lawsuits
Companies that manufactured, supplied, or sold asbestos-containing products may be liable for the harm they caused. If we determine that a financially solvent company is responsible for your asbestos exposure, we can file a lawsuit on your behalf. A mesothelioma lawsuit may provide compensation for a wide range of personal and financial losses, including medical expenses, lost income, pain and suffering, and loss of enjoyment of life.
Trust Fund Claims
Many asbestos companies sought bankruptcy protection after victims began filing lawsuits against them. As part of the bankruptcy process, these companies established asbestos trust funds to compensate current and future victims. If the company responsible for your asbestos exposure has an active trust, our attorneys can file a claim and seek compensation based on the trust’s specific rules.
Potential New Trusts for Talc-Related Claims
Historically, asbestos trust fund claims primarily involved exposure to heavy industry and construction materials. However, asbestos litigation has increasingly uncovered exposure through contaminated consumer products, including talc-based products. As a result, some companies connected to talc-based cosmetics and personal care products are beginning to enter bankruptcy proceedings that could create new asbestos trusts.
The Stephan Company, a beauty and barber product company, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in November 2025 after being named in more than 700 talc lawsuits. Through this process, it has proposed creating a trust to address those claims. While the trust has not yet been established, it could eventually provide another source of compensation for eligible people whose mesothelioma claims involve the company’s products. Our firm is monitoring the status of this trust and watching for any other talc-related trusts that may become available in the future.
VA Claims
Until the 1980s, asbestos was commonly used in military ships, buildings, vehicles and equipment. Veterans who worked in shipyards, construction, demolition, or other occupations involving asbestos-containing materials may have been exposed during their service. A veteran may qualify for VA disability compensation by showing that they had contact with asbestos during military service, have an asbestos-related condition and have medical evidence connecting the condition to that exposure. Veterans who receive a disability rating may also qualify for VA health care and other benefits.
Wrongful Death Actions
When mesothelioma takes someone’s life, eligible family members may file a wrongful death lawsuit against the responsible companies. If successful, a wrongful death lawsuit may provide compensation for funeral and burial costs, lost financial support, lost household services, and loss of companionship.
Why File an Asbestos Claim in California?
Companies manufactured and sold asbestos-containing products throughout California for decades. Because mesothelioma often takes 20 to 60 years to develop after a person’s initial asbestos exposure, the effects of this widespread use continue to emerge. An asbestos claim allows victims and their families to seek accountability and compensation for the ways mesothelioma has impacted their lives.
According to the KCIC Asbestos Litigation Report, plaintiffs filed 2,035 mesothelioma lawsuits nationwide in 2025, a 5.5% increase from the previous year. Bankrupt asbestos companies have also established trust funds that hold an estimated $30 billion for current and future victims. At The Gori Law Firm, we consistently lead the nation in filing asbestos claims and pursuing maximum financial recovery.
How Much Time Do You Have to File a Mesothelioma Claim in California?
California has a special filing deadline for asbestos claims. In most cases, you have one year to file a lawsuit for an injury related to asbestos exposure. The one-year countdown begins on either of these dates, whichever occurred later:
- The date you first became disabled, meaning you were unable to perform your regular occupation because of the disease
- The date you knew or reasonably should have known that your disability was connected to asbestos exposure
If a family member passed away due to mesothelioma, you generally have one year from the date of death or the date you discovered its connection to asbestos to file a wrongful death lawsuit.
Where to File Your California Mesothelioma Lawsuit
Your asbestos exposure history will help us determine where to file your mesothelioma lawsuit. You may have encountered asbestos at job sites in several states, during military service, or through products manufactured by out-of-state companies. These connections may give you the right to file in California or another state.
Our attorneys can investigate where your exposure occurred and where the responsible companies operated. We’ll then identify the courts with jurisdiction over the case and choose the most advantageous forum in which to file.
As a national mesothelioma law firm, we can manage claims across state lines. If we file your lawsuit outside California, we’ll coordinate the proceedings and minimize the travel required from you and your family.
How Long Do California Mesothelioma Lawsuits Take?
California law allows some injured people to request an expedited trial. A plaintiff over age 70 may qualify if an accelerated schedule is necessary for their health. A court may also grant preference at any age when medical evidence suggests that the plaintiff will not survive beyond six months.
If the court grants the request, it must schedule the trial within 120 days. This can often reduce the overall lawsuit timeline to six months or less.
Without a trial preference, a California mesothelioma lawsuit may take 12 months or longer to resolve. The exact timeline depends on factors such as the complexity of the exposure history and whether the defendants agree to a settlement.
Contact Our California Mesothelioma Lawyers
If you or someone you love has mesothelioma, The Gori Law Firm is ready to provide the support you need during a difficult time. Our attorneys have decades of experience representing clients in mesothelioma lawsuits and claims and can help you pursue compensation as you navigate the illness and its impact on your life.
We will make a donation to the Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation if you allow us to review your case. We offer free consultations for all potential clients and will make every effort to accommodate your schedule.
Complete our online contact form or call us at 618-659-9833 to start getting trusted guidance today. Our team can meet with you in our Los Angeles asbestos law office or wherever it’s most comfortable for you, including your home or a medical facility.
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