Connecticut Mesothelioma Lawyer | Asbestos Claims, Lawsuits & Deadlines

If you or a parent worked at Electric Boat in Groton, at Combustion Engineering in Windsor, at Pratt & Whitney, in the Hartford hospitals and insurance towers, in the Naugatuck Valley rubber and chemical plants, or anywhere else in Connecticut's industrial economy — and a mesothelioma diagnosis has now arrived decades later — your family may have several claim paths: lawsuits against the companies that made and sold the asbestos products, claims against the owners of private plants where the exposure happened, claims against asbestos bankruptcy trusts, and benefits for shipyard workers, veterans, and federal workers.

Connecticut's deadlines are short: two or three years, depending on the kind of claim. Exactly when the clock starts varies, so to be safe, count two years from the date of diagnosis. If your loved one has already passed away, call right away: Connecticut's wrongful-death deadlines are strict, and some can run out before the illness is even found.

You do not need to know the name of the asbestos product before you call. Many strong cases begin with one sentence: "Dad worked at Electric Boat in Groton." We reconstruct exposure histories from worksite records, coworker information, product invoices, and our own database of Connecticut worksites.

You don't need the product names or old records. No fee unless we recover compensation for your family.

Call 833-4-ASBESTOS Request a review

Quick answers

How long do we have to file?	Two or three years, depending on the kind of claim. Exactly when the clock starts varies, so to be safe, count two years from the date of diagnosis.
What if my loved one has already passed away?	Call right away. Connecticut's wrongful-death statute has a two-year deadline from the date of death and a five-year limit counted from the conduct that caused the illness.
Does Connecticut have a special asbestos rule?	Yes, a narrow one. Connecticut normally cuts off product claims ten years after the company parted with the product. That cutoff doesn't apply to asbestos claims brought within 80 years of the last exposure. The two- and three-year deadlines still apply.
Does a claim always mean filing a lawsuit?	No. Some Connecticut families recover through the asbestos trust system and benefit programs without filing a lawsuit, or alongside one.
Who may be responsible?	The companies that made and sold the asbestos products; in some cases, the owner of the private plant, mill, or power station where the exposure happened; and the asbestos trusts set up by companies that have since gone bankrupt.
What compensation may be available?	Medical expenses, lost earnings, pain and suffering, a spouse's loss of consortium, and, in some cases, punitive damages, along with trust payments and benefits that have their own rules.
What evidence do we need to start?	A diagnosis and a general work history. We build the rest.
Can an adult child or spouse call for the worker?	Yes. Spouses and adult children call for parents every day.

“I started this firm after learning that the cancers that killed my father and grandparents were caused by asbestos, something we did not realize until it was too late to hold anyone accountable. That experience is why we built this site: so that no other family misses their chance to ask the questions, hear the options, and decide for themselves what to do.”

Justinian C. Lane, Founding Partner

Was the exposure at a Connecticut shipyard, mill, plant, or federal facility?

Connecticut's asbestos exposure history runs through the Thames River at Groton, the plants of Hartford and the Connecticut River valley, the Naugatuck Valley rubber and brass mills, and the Bridgeport and New Haven industrial belts. The asbestos trusts' Connecticut lists hold more than 1,500 entries across 147 communities, from 27 trusts, and several of our clients worked at Connecticut job sites. These are some of the private worksites the trusts list most often:

Connecticut worksite	City	Why it matters
Pfizer Groton plant (Charles Pfizer & Co.)	Groton	Pharmaceutical plant on the Thames. At least 13 trusts.
Pratt & Whitney Aircraft East Hartford plant (Willgoos Laboratory)	East Hartford	Jet-engine plant and test laboratory. At least 12 trusts. (North Haven plant: at least 8.)
Electric Boat shipyard (General Dynamics)	Groton	Submarine shipyard: pipe and boiler insulation, packing, gaskets, and refractory aboard boats under construction and overhaul. At least 11 trusts.
Combustion Engineering Windsor works	Windsor	Boiler and steam-generator maker. Combustion Engineering later went bankrupt and has its own asbestos trust. At least 9 trusts.
Hartford Hospital	Hartford	Hartford hospital corridor. At least 7 trusts. (Saint Francis Hospital: at least 5.)
B.F. Goodrich Shelton plant (Goodrich Sponge Rubber)	Shelton	Naugatuck Valley rubber plant. At least 7 trusts.
Aetna Life Insurance (151 Farmington Avenue)	Hartford	Large mid-century office building stock in the Hartford insurance corridor. At least 6 trusts.
Naugatuck Chemical (U.S. Rubber)	Naugatuck	Anchor of the Naugatuck Valley rubber and chemical industry. At least 6 trusts.
Bullard Company	Bridgeport	Machine-tool maker in the Bridgeport industrial corridor. At least 5 trusts.

The Naval Submarine Base New London (at least 11 trusts) and other federal sites are covered in the federal section below.

Check Connecticut asbestos exposure sites or search the trusts' Connecticut lists.

Not seeing the worksite? That does not mean your family has no claim. Many Connecticut claims are built from product-handling reconstruction, coworker information, historical invoices, trust documents, and records from similar worksites.

Your legal options after a Connecticut mesothelioma diagnosis

Think in claim paths, not in a single lawsuit. Many Connecticut families have several paths open, and the right strategy combines them. The order of filings is decided case by case with the trial team.

Asbestos trust claims

Dozens of asbestos companies went bankrupt and set aside money in trusts to pay people harmed by their products. Trust claims are filed under each trust's own procedures — they are not lawsuits, and they pay on their own schedule. The trusts' Connecticut lists come from 27 trusts. Combustion Engineering, which ran the Windsor works, is itself one of the bankrupt companies with an asbestos trust. Learn more about asbestos trust claims.

Product liability lawsuits

The companies that made and sold asbestos insulation, gaskets, packing, refractory, brake friction material, joint compound, and other asbestos products can be sued in Connecticut. Connecticut's Product Liability Act brings strict liability, negligence, breach of warranty, and failure to warn together into a single statutory claim against them. Learn more about product liability lawsuits.

Premises liability lawsuits

Some Connecticut cases also involve the owner of a private plant, mill, or power station where the exposure happened. A Connecticut property owner owes business visitors, including outside contractors' workers, reasonable care to keep the premises reasonably safe from dangers it knew or should have known about. Two limits matter: a claim against a property owner has a shorter deadline than a product claim (see below), and a company that hired out work that was part of its own business, on premises it controlled, and paid workers' compensation for the injury can't be sued. Federal installations generally can't be sued like a private owner. Learn more about premises liability lawsuits.

Several state and federal benefit programs may also apply. Some have repayment, offset, or approval rules that interact with a lawsuit, so we coordinate them case by case:

LHWCA (Longshore) for Electric Boat shipyard workers and other maritime workers. Its rules for a lawsuit against other companies are strict: the employer is credited with what the worker recovers; settling for less than the compensation due without the prior written approval of the employer and its insurer can end all compensation and medical benefits; and accepting compensation under a formal award can transfer the lawsuit to the employer unless the worker sues within six months.
Connecticut workers' compensation, where the employer has a lien on a recovery from other companies.
VA service-connected disability for veterans with in-service asbestos exposure, including Navy submarine and Coast Guard veterans. The VA has no automatic presumption for asbestos diseases, but it treats in-service exposure as likely for many Navy ratings; a claim still needs a diagnosis and a doctor's opinion linking the disease to service. A civil or trust recovery doesn't reduce VA disability.
FECA for federal civilian employees, such as civilians at the Submarine Base, the Coast Guard, and the VA. FECA must be repaid from a recovery against other companies, and VA and FECA benefits for the same disease generally require an election.
Social Security disability for claimants under full retirement age. Workers' compensation can offset it.

Learn more about asbestos disability claims.

"Can we choose not to sue?"

Yes. Some Connecticut families pursue only trust claims and disability and veterans' benefits, and never file a court case. We respect that decision. We will not pressure you into a court case you do not want. If your family wants the trust and federal paths only, we will run those — and only those — as your representation.

Uncomfortable with the idea of a lawsuit? So was Clarence Borel. He spent 33 years as an insulator on the Gulf Coast and didn't believe in suing anyone — until he realized his coworkers would die the same way he was dying. His 1969 lawsuit helped establish the product-liability law that protects families today, and the cases that followed it eventually led to the bankruptcy trusts that pay claims now. Read his story.

How long do I have to file a Connecticut mesothelioma claim?

Connecticut's deadlines are two or three years, depending on the kind of claim. Exactly when the clock starts varies, so to be safe, count two years from the date of diagnosis.

Claims against the companies that made and sold asbestos products: three years from when the injury is first sustained or discovered, or should have been discovered. Connecticut normally cuts off product claims ten years after the company parted with the product, but that cutoff doesn't apply to asbestos claims brought within 80 years of the last exposure.
Claims against a property owner: two years from when the injury is discovered or should have been, and no more than three years from the conduct that caused it. For exposure that ended decades ago, that limit can bar a premises claim.

If your loved one has already passed away, call right away. Connecticut's wrongful-death statute has a two-year deadline from the date of death and a five-year limit counted from the conduct that caused the illness, and Connecticut's Supreme Court has enforced that limit even when the disease appeared decades later. Families have argued that the three-year product deadline applies instead to claims against product makers, and at least one federal court has agreed, but the question isn't settled. A claim the worker files during life can be continued by the estate.

Call 833-4-ASBESTOS — we can tell you which deadlines apply to your situation in one phone call.

Legal detail: Connecticut filing deadlines

Product liability claims. Conn. Gen. Stat. § 52-577a(a): a product liability claim must be brought "within three years from the date when the injury, death or property damage is first sustained or discovered or in the exercise of reasonable care should have been discovered," and no later than ten years after the defendant last parted with possession or control of the product. The Product Liability Act claim is exclusive against product sellers (§ 52-572n(a)).

The asbestos exception to the ten-year limit. § 52-577a(e): the ten-year limit "shall not apply to any product liability claim ... caused by contact with or exposure to asbestos," except that a personal-injury or death action may not be brought "later than eighty years from the date that the claimant last had contact with or exposure to asbestos" (thirty years for property damage). It does not replace the three-year limit. Other exceptions to the ten-year limit: harm within the product's useful safe life, an express warranty, and intentional misrepresentation or fraudulent concealment (§ 52-577a(c), (d)).

Negligence claims (including premises claims). § 52-584: two years from when the injury is first sustained or discovered or should have been, and "no such action may be brought more than three years from the date of the act or omission complained of."

Exposure to substances released into the environment. § 52-577c(b): two years from when the injury is discovered or should have been, for injury or death "caused by exposure to a hazardous chemical substance or mixture or hazardous pollutant released into the environment," notwithstanding §§ 52-555, 52-577 and 52-577a. How far it reaches workplace exposure is unsettled.

Wrongful death. § 52-555(a): within two years from the date of death, and "no such action may be brought more than five years from the date of the act or omission complained of." The Connecticut Supreme Court treats that limit as "a jurisdictional prerequisite which cannot be waived" and enforced the five-year limit against workers' estates whose illnesses appeared later. Greco v. United Technologies Corp., 277 Conn. 337 (2006). Greco read an earlier version of § 52-577c; in 2015 the legislature extended § 52-577c(b) to death claims and made it apply notwithstanding § 52-555 (P.A. 15-67, applicable to cases pending on or filed after October 1, 2015). How that interacts with § 52-555 for asbestos deaths is unsettled. A federal court applied § 52-577a's three years to an asbestos death claim against product makers. Bauer v. Johns-Manville Corp., 599 F. Supp. 33 (D. Conn. 1984). The Connecticut Supreme Court has said the wrongful-death statute "does not create a new cause of action, independent of any claims that the decedent might have had during his or her life." Soto v. Bushmaster Firearms Int'l, LLC, 331 Conn. 53 (2019).

Survival. § 52-599: a claim survives the death of the injured person; the executor or administrator may enter the pending case within six months of the death or at any time before trial.

Architects, engineers, surveyors. § 52-584a — seven years from substantial completion of an improvement to real property.

Fraudulent concealment. § 52-595: a claim against a defendant that fraudulently concealed it accrues when the plaintiff discovers it. The plaintiff must show the defendant actually knew the facts and intentionally concealed them to delay the suit.

Who can be sued in a Connecticut asbestos case?

Most Connecticut asbestos cases involve several categories of defendants at once. We sort them out for you.

Product manufacturers and suppliers

The companies that made, sold, and distributed asbestos insulation, gaskets, packing, refractory, joint compound, brake friction material, and similar products are the core defendants in a Connecticut asbestos case. Connecticut asks whether each defendant's product was a substantial factor in causing the disease, which suits the multi-product, decades-long exposure typical of mesothelioma.

Premises owners and site operators

The owners of private plants, mills, power stations, and other facilities where asbestos work happened can sometimes be sued as premises defendants. Connecticut owners owe business visitors, including outside contractors' workers, reasonable care to keep the premises reasonably safe from dangers they knew or should have known about. A claim against an owner runs under Connecticut's negligence deadline, which is shorter than the product deadline. Federal installations generally can't be sued like a private owner (see the federal section below).

Asbestos bankruptcy trusts

The trusts established by bankrupt asbestos companies — Combustion Engineering's included — are a separate source of recovery. Trust claims don't require a lawsuit, but trust filings can come up in a lawsuit, so we coordinate the two.

Employers

Connecticut workers' compensation generally bars a lawsuit against the worker's own employer — including Electric Boat, Combustion Engineering, or Pratt & Whitney when one of them was the employer. The exception is narrow: the employer must have intended the injury or deliberately created a danger that made the injury substantially certain. Claims against the companies that made the products, and against other companies' premises, are not barred.

Legal detail: Connecticut product liability, premises liability, and workers' compensation

Product liability. The Connecticut Product Liability Act, Conn. Gen. Stat. § 52-572m et seq., makes the product liability claim "in lieu of all other claims against product sellers, including actions of negligence, strict liability and warranty" (§ 52-572n(a)). Failure-to-warn claims are governed by § 52-572q. Proximate cause is a substantial-factor test. Mahoney v. Beatman, 110 Conn. 184 (1929); Barry v. Quality Steel Prods., Inc., 263 Conn. 424 (2003).

Premises liability. Duty depends on the visitor's status (invitee, licensee, trespasser). Corcoran v. Jacovino, 161 Conn. 462 (1971). A possessor owes an invitee reasonable care to keep the premises reasonably safe. Warren v. Stancliff, 157 Conn. 216 (1968). Connecticut treats a possessor's duty to keep its premises reasonably safe as nondelegable. Smith v. Town of Greenwich, 278 Conn. 428 (2006).

Principal employer. § 31-291: a principal employer that has work that is "a part or process" of its business done by a contractor on premises it controls is liable for the contractor's employees' compensation, and, for injuries or deaths occurring on or after May 28, 1988, is immune from their lawsuits only if it has actually paid compensation for the injury.

Workers' compensation. Exclusive remedy under § 31-284(a). The intentional-tort exception requires proof that the employer actually intended to injure the worker or intentionally created a dangerous condition that made the injury substantially certain to occur. Suarez v. Dickmont Plastics Corp., 229 Conn. 99 (1994); Suarez v. Dickmont Plastics Corp. (Suarez II), 242 Conn. 255 (1997). Co-employee immunity under § 31-293a.

Third-party claims and the employer's lien. § 31-293(a): the worker may sue other companies, and an employer that has paid compensation may sue them too. Whoever sues must notify the others in writing; they may join within thirty days, or lose their own action unless the employer gives written notice of a lien. The employer's claim is paid first from the recovery after the worker's reasonable expenses and attorney's fees, and is reduced by one-third when the worker brought the action. No compromise by one binds the other without consent.

LHWCA. The employer's LHWCA liability is exclusive of its other liability to the worker and family (33 U.S.C. § 905(a)). Under § 933: accepting compensation under an award operates as an assignment of the worker's claim to the employer unless the worker sues within six months (§ 933(b)); the employer is credited with the net recovery (§ 933(f)); and a settlement for less than the compensation due, made without the employer's and carrier's prior written approval, terminates all compensation and medical benefits (§ 933(g)).

Negligence per se. A statutory duty, a plaintiff in the protected class, and harm of the type the statute was meant to prevent. Staudinger v. Barrett, 208 Conn. 94 (1988); Small v. South Norwalk Sav. Bank, 205 Conn. 751 (1988).

What compensation can a Connecticut mesothelioma case recover?

Personal-injury compensation

Connecticut does not cap compensatory damages. A diagnosed worker's recovery can include:

Past and future medical expenses (after a verdict, the court reduces economic damages by insurance and other collateral-source payments, except payments that must be repaid)
Past and future lost earnings and lost earning capacity
Past and future pain and suffering
Loss of consortium for a spouse, and a minor child's claim for loss of a parent's consortium
In a product case, punitive damages if the company acted with reckless disregard for safety: the jury decides whether to award them, and the court sets the amount, up to twice the damages awarded

Wrongful-death compensation

If the worker has passed away, the executor or administrator of the estate brings the claim. Connecticut's wrongful-death statute allows "just damages" for the death, plus medical, hospital, nursing, and funeral expenses, and the recovery belongs to the estate. A surviving spouse's own loss-of-consortium claim for the death must be brought together with it. Compensatory damages are not capped.

Legal detail: Connecticut damages and wrongful death

Compensatory damages. No statutory cap.

Punitive damages — product liability. Conn. Gen. Stat. § 52-240b: available if the harm resulted from the product seller's "reckless disregard for the safety of product users, consumers or others"; if the trier of fact awards them, the court sets the amount, not more than twice the damages awarded.

Punitive damages — common law. Limited to the cost of litigation less taxable costs. Champagne v. Raybestos-Manhattan, Inc., 212 Conn. 509, 562 A.2d 1100 (1989) (an Electric Boat pipe coverer's asbestos case); Larsen Chelsey Realty Co. v. Larsen, 232 Conn. 480 (1995).

Collateral source. § 52-225a: after the verdict, the court reduces the economic damages by collateral-source payments, less what the plaintiff paid to secure them, but makes no reduction for a source with a right of subrogation. Marciano v. Jiminez, 324 Conn. 70 (2016) (any right of subrogation bars any reduction for that source). Evidence that a provider accepted less than its bill is admissible on the amount paid (P.A. 12-142).

Consortium. Spousal consortium: Hopson v. St. Mary's Hosp., 176 Conn. 485 (1979); available with a product liability claim, Lynn v. Haybuster Mfg., Inc., 226 Conn. 282 (1993). A minor child's derivative claim for loss of parental consortium: Campos v. Coleman, 319 Conn. 36 (2015). A spouse's consortium claim for the death must be joined with the death action (§ 52-555b).

Wrongful death and survival. § 52-555(a): the executor or administrator recovers "just damages together with the cost of reasonably necessary medical, hospital and nursing services, and including funeral expenses." Survival under § 52-599.

What evidence do we need to prove a Connecticut asbestos case?

You do not need to gather everything before calling. A diagnosis and a general work history are enough to start.

Evidence	Why it helps	What if you do not have it?
Pathology report or biopsy results	Confirms the diagnosis and the type of mesothelioma	We work with treating physicians and obtain records directly
General work history (employers, dates, job titles)	Lets us match the worker to documented asbestos sites	We reconstruct from Social Security earnings records, union records, and database matches
Names of coworkers	Coworker testimony supports product identification	We locate coworkers through our database and union contacts
Military records (especially Navy and Coast Guard)	Supports VA claims and submarine/shipyard exposure	We obtain DD-214 and service records for clients
Product names or photos of old worksites	Speeds product identification	Our 200,000-site database often identifies products for the worksite
Spouse and family information	Supports loss of consortium and take-home exposure claims	A simple phone interview is all we need to start

Many Connecticut clients call without records, without product names, and without knowing what an asbestos trust is. That is normal. We do the records work.

How does Connecticut divide responsibility when many asbestos companies were involved?

Asbestos exposure usually came from many products over many years, so how Connecticut divides responsibility matters.

Claims against product makers. Connecticut uses pure comparative responsibility: any share of fault assigned to the worker reduces the award but doesn't bar it. The court enters judgment on the basis of joint and several liability, so the family can collect the judgment from any defendant found liable, and the defendants sort out contribution among themselves. Settlements, and whether each defendant can pay, still affect what a family actually collects. A product defendant can still argue that the worker misused the product or knowingly used it in a defective condition.

Negligence claims, such as claims against a property owner. The worker recovers only if their share of fault isn't greater than the combined share of the defendants and settled parties. Each defendant pays only its own share, though the court can reallocate a share that can't be collected, and a settling party's share of fault comes off the award. Connecticut abolished assumption of risk and last clear chance in these negligence actions, and its Supreme Court has largely abandoned the argument that a third party's later negligence cuts off a defendant's liability.

Legal detail: comparative responsibility, joint and several liability, and settlement credits

Product liability — pure comparative responsibility. Conn. Gen. Stat. § 52-572o(a): the claimant's comparative responsibility "shall not bar recovery but shall diminish the award of compensatory damages proportionately." § 52-572o(d): the court enters judgment "against parties liable on the basis of the common law joint and several liability of joint tortfeasors," and specifies each party's proportionate share. § 52-572o(e) sets the time for contribution actions. Misuse and knowingly using a defective product remain defenses to strict liability (§ 52-572l).

Negligence — comparative fault. § 52-572h(b): contributory negligence doesn't bar recovery "if the negligence was not greater than the combined negligence of the person or persons against whom recovery is sought including settled or released persons." Each defendant is liable for its proportionate share (§ 52-572h(c)), with court reallocation of uncollectible shares on a motion to open the judgment, filed after good-faith collection efforts and not later than one year after the judgment becomes final (§ 52-572h(g)(1)). A settled or released person's percentage of negligence reduces the award (§ 52-572h(n)). Last clear chance and assumption of risk are abolished in actions under § 52-572h (§ 52-572h(l)). No apportionment between parties liable for negligence and parties liable on another basis, such as strict liability (§ 52-572h(o)).

Superseding cause. Abandoned where a third party's later negligence combines with the defendant's. Barry v. Quality Steel Prods., Inc., 263 Conn. 424 (2003).

Releases. Releases and settlements are not shown to the jury (§ 52-216a).

How trust claims, lawsuits, and benefits can work together

Path	What it is	How it fits
Asbestos trust claims	Claims against the funds set aside by bankrupt asbestos companies, under each trust's own procedures	Pay on their own schedule. Timing relative to a lawsuit is decided case by case with the trial team.
Civil lawsuit	A Connecticut court case against solvent manufacturers and, in some cases, private property owners	The main vehicle for full personal-injury and wrongful-death recovery against companies still in business.
LHWCA (Longshore)	Federal workers' compensation for Electric Boat shipyard workers and other maritime workers	The employer is credited with a lawsuit recovery; settling for less than the compensation due without the prior written approval of the employer and its insurer can end benefits; accepting compensation under an award can transfer the lawsuit to the employer unless the worker sues within six months.
Connecticut workers' compensation	Benefits from the employer or its insurer	The employer has a lien on a recovery from other companies, reduced by one-third when the worker brought the case.
VA disability	Service-connected disability for veterans	A civil or trust recovery doesn't reduce VA disability. VA and FECA benefits for the same disease generally require an election.
FECA / Social Security	Federal workers' comp for federal civilian employees; disability benefits for workers under full retirement age	FECA must be repaid from a recovery against other companies. Workers' compensation can offset SSDI.

Connecticut shipyard, Navy, and federal-facility exposure

Many Connecticut mesothelioma claims trace to Groton and New London. Federal installations generally can't be sued like a private owner: a federal civilian employee's remedy against the United States is FECA, and a family member's own claim against the United States would go through the Federal Tort Claims Act. Claims against the companies that made and supplied the asbestos products are not affected, though companies that built equipment to Navy specifications sometimes raise the federal government-contractor defense.

Electric Boat shipyard (General Dynamics), Groton — a private company's submarine yard, not a federal installation; at least 11 trusts list it. Electric Boat workers' benefits typically run through LHWCA; the makers of the products used aboard the boats can be sued.
Naval Submarine Base New London, Groton — the Navy's submarine base and home of the Naval Submarine School; at least 11 trusts list it. VA disability for Navy veterans with in-service exposure; FECA for federal civilian employees.
U.S. Coast Guard Academy and Coast Guard Research and Development Center (New London) — VA disability for Coast Guard veterans; FECA for federal civilian employees.
Bradley Air National Guard Base (Windsor Locks) — VA eligibility for Air National Guard members depends on whether the exposure happened during federal service; FECA for federal civilian employees.
VA Connecticut Healthcare System (West Haven, Newington) — FECA for the VA's civilian employees.

These programs have their own repayment, offset, and election rules (FECA repayment from a recovery, the VA/FECA election for the same disease, the LHWCA approval rule for settlements), so we coordinate them case by case with the trial team. A civil or trust recovery doesn't reduce VA disability.

What happens after you call?

A free case review is a conversation, not a commitment to file a lawsuit.

Free phone or video intake. We listen. You tell us when the diagnosis came, where the worker worked, and what you already know. There is no charge and no obligation.
Worksite and product mapping. We match the work history to our Connecticut asbestos exposure database, including the more than 1,500 Connecticut entries on the trusts' lists, and to the asbestos products used in that industry and era.
Records and benefits. With a signed authorization, we obtain medical records and, where helpful, military and Social Security records. We identify the benefit programs that apply (LHWCA, workers' comp, VA, FECA, SSDI) and plan the order of filings with the trial team.
Trust claim filings. We file claims against every asbestos trust the evidence supports.
Civil case filing. Where appropriate, we file in Connecticut Superior Court or federal court.
Litigation, mediation, and resolution. Most asbestos cases resolve through negotiated settlements with multiple defendants rather than through trial.
You do not travel to our office. We come to you, or handle the case remotely.

Call 833-4-ASBESTOS — the first call is free and answers most families' biggest questions in twenty minutes.

How Connecticut's laws may work in practice

Patricia is a 78-year-old retired pipefitter from Mystic. From 1966, when she was 18, to 2001, she worked at General Dynamics' Electric Boat shipyard in Groton, on Sturgeon-class fast attack submarines, then the Los Angeles-class and the Ohio-class ballistic missile submarines. Her work brought daily contact with asbestos-containing materials — pipe and boiler insulation on steam lines, gasket and packing maintenance on valves and pumps, and refractory and thermal insulation throughout machinery spaces. She had no significant health complaints until late 2025, when she developed persistent chest pain, shortness of breath on exertion, and a pericardial effusion. In March 2026, a pericardial biopsy confirmed pericardial mesothelioma of the biphasic subtype.

For Patricia and her family, several paths may be open. Electric Boat was her employer, so she can't sue it; her claim against Electric Boat runs through LHWCA benefits. The lawsuit would be against the companies that made the insulation, gaskets, packing, and refractory used aboard the boats, and Connecticut's product deadline is three years. Her family counts from the March 2026 diagnosis to be safe, and files while Patricia can still testify about the products she worked with. Before settling with any of those companies, the family needs the prior written approval of Electric Boat and its insurer for any settlement for less than the compensation due, or her LHWCA benefits can end. At least 11 trusts list the Electric Boat shipyard, and trust claims would be filed in an order planned with the trial team. Her husband has his own claim for loss of consortium; her adult children do not. If Patricia dies during the case, her executor can continue it.

Patricia's husband and adult children lived for decades with the dust she brought home on her work clothes. As part of our representation, we offer free asbestos health screening to family members of every client who may have been exposed at home. The screening is a chest X-ray read by a B-reader, with a CT scan if needed; it looks for asbestos-related changes in the lungs and isn't a diagnosis or a reliable way to find mesothelioma early. If a family member is later diagnosed with an asbestos-related disease, they may have their own claims against the companies that made the products and against the trusts, though Connecticut's appellate courts haven't settled whether an employer or property owner owes household members a duty.

Legal analysis of this hypothetical

Deadline. The three-year product liability limit under Conn. Gen. Stat. § 52-577a(a) runs from when the injury is first sustained or discovered or should have been discovered. Her symptoms began in late 2025, so the family counts from the March 2026 diagnosis to be safe and files well before March 2028. The ten-year repose doesn't apply to asbestos claims brought within 80 years of last exposure (§ 52-577a(e)); her last exposure was in 2001.

Pleading. A single Product Liability Act claim (strict liability, negligence, warranty, and failure to warn) under § 52-572m et seq. against the manufacturers and suppliers. Substantial-factor causation. Mahoney v. Beatman, 110 Conn. 184 (1929); Barry v. Quality Steel Prods., Inc., 263 Conn. 424 (2003). Champagne v. Raybestos-Manhattan, Inc., 212 Conn. 509 (1989), was an Electric Boat pipe coverer's asbestos case.

Apportionment. Pure comparative responsibility and judgment on the basis of joint and several liability under § 52-572o.

Damages. Compensatory damages uncapped; collateral-source reduction under § 52-225a; punitive damages under § 52-240b on proof of reckless disregard, amount set by the court up to twice the damages. Her husband's consortium claim (Hopson; Lynn v. Haybuster); no consortium claim for adult children (Campos v. Coleman recognizes it for minor children).

LHWCA. Electric Boat is her employer, and LHWCA is her remedy against it. Under 33 U.S.C. § 933, the employer is credited with the net recovery; a settlement for less than the compensation due needs the employer's and carrier's prior written approval (§ 933(g)); and if she accepts compensation under an award, she must sue within six months or the claim is assigned to the employer (§ 933(b)).

Survival and death. If Patricia dies during the case, her executor or administrator may enter it within six months of the death or before trial (§ 52-599), and a spouse's consortium claim for the death must be joined (§ 52-555b). A new death claim would face § 52-555's limits, as discussed above.

Take-home exposure. No Connecticut appellate decision settles a duty to household members; the family's screening and any later claims are evaluated case by case.

This example is general. Every case depends on the diagnosis, exposure history, dates, defendants, applicable law, and available evidence.

Why families choose our firm

Our firm has recovered over $400 million for asbestos clients nationally. Our Connecticut work is supported by a proprietary database of 200,000+ verified asbestos exposure sites built over more than a decade — including the trusts' Connecticut lists, with more than 1,500 entries across 147 communities from 27 trusts. Several of our clients worked at Connecticut job sites.

For Connecticut families, that means:

No investigation lag. We often know on day one which trusts list your worksite: Pfizer Groton (at least 13 trusts), Pratt & Whitney East Hartford (at least 12), the Electric Boat shipyard (at least 11), Combustion Engineering Windsor (at least 9), and many more.
Prepared for Connecticut's rules. Product claims built around the Product Liability Act's three-year deadline, comparative responsibility, and joint and several liability; premises claims checked early against the shorter negligence deadline.
LHWCA coordination for Electric Boat workers. Settlements are timed and approved so that a recovery doesn't cost a worker LHWCA benefits.
Coordinated filings. Trust claims, lawsuits, LHWCA, workers' comp, VA, FECA, and SSDI where applicable, coordinated case by case with the trial team.
Act during life. The worker's own testimony is often the most important evidence, and Connecticut's wrongful-death deadlines are strict. Call as soon as possible after diagnosis.
Remote case handling. You do not need to come to our office. We handle Connecticut cases for clients living anywhere in the country.
No fee unless we recover. Contingent fee.

Learn more about our firm and asbestos database

Court decisions: 32 asbestos cases from Connecticut courts

Frequently asked questions

What is the statute of limitations for mesothelioma in Connecticut?

Two or three years, depending on the kind of claim: three years for claims against the companies that made and sold asbestos products, and two years for negligence claims such as claims against a property owner, which also face a three-year limit from the conduct that caused the illness. Exactly when the clock starts varies, so to be safe, count two years from the date of diagnosis.

What is the deadline if my loved one already passed away?

Call right away. Connecticut's wrongful-death statute has a two-year deadline from the date of death and a five-year limit counted from the conduct that caused the illness, and Connecticut's Supreme Court has enforced that limit even when the disease appeared decades later. Families have argued that the three-year product deadline applies instead to claims against product makers, and at least one federal court has agreed, but the question isn't settled.

Can my family still call if my loved one already died?

Yes. In Connecticut the executor or administrator of the estate brings the wrongful-death claim, and a surviving spouse's own loss-of-consortium claim is brought with it. Because the deadlines are strict, call as soon as you can.

What does Connecticut's 80-year asbestos rule mean for me?

Less than some websites suggest. Connecticut normally cuts off product claims ten years after the company parted with the product. For asbestos claims, that ten-year cutoff doesn't apply, as long as the claim is brought within 80 years of the last exposure. It doesn't extend the two- and three-year deadlines, which still run.

Do I need to know the asbestos product names before I call?

No. Most of our Connecticut clients call without knowing the product names. We identify products from our Connecticut site database, from coworker information, from union records, and from the historical record of what was used at the worksite.

Do I need to have old employment records before I call?

No. We obtain Social Security earnings records, union records, military service records, and where helpful, employer records.

Can an adult child call for a parent?

Yes. Spouses and adult children call for parents in most of our Connecticut cases. We will walk you through what we need.

Will we have to file a lawsuit?

Not necessarily. Some Connecticut families recover through the trust system and benefit programs without ever filing a court case. If you do not want a lawsuit, we will say so and we will run only the paths you authorize.

Are trust claims separate from lawsuits?

Yes. Trust claims are filed under each trust's own procedures and pay on their own schedule. Trust filings can come up in a lawsuit, so we plan the order of filings with the trial team.

Can I file a Connecticut claim if I no longer live in Connecticut?

Often yes. Many of our Connecticut clients moved out of state after retirement. Where the case can be filed, and which state's law applies, depends on where the exposure happened and where the defendants do business; we sort that out for you.

Do I have to come to your office?

No. We handle Connecticut cases remotely and travel to clients where helpful. You do not need to drive to Hartford or Bridgeport — or to any of our offices — to retain us.

What if the exposure happened at work?

Connecticut workers' compensation, or LHWCA for shipyard workers, generally bars a lawsuit against the worker's own employer. Claims against the companies that made and sold the asbestos products, and against other companies' premises, are not barred.

What if the exposure happened through a spouse's work clothes?

Family members exposed to asbestos brought home on a worker's clothes may have claims against the companies that made the products and against the trusts. We're not aware of a Connecticut appellate decision that settles whether employers and property owners owe household members a duty, so each claim is evaluated case by case. As part of our representation, we offer free asbestos health screening to family members of every client who may have been exposed at home.

Are punitive damages available in Connecticut asbestos cases?

In a product case, yes, if the company acted with reckless disregard for safety. The jury decides whether to award them, and the court sets the amount, up to twice the damages awarded. Outside the product statute, Connecticut's common-law punitive damages are limited to the cost of litigation.

Are wrongful-death damages capped in Connecticut?

No. The estate recovers "just damages" for the death plus medical and funeral expenses, and a surviving spouse's consortium claim is brought with it.

Where will my Connecticut case be filed?

Since August 2026, Connecticut Superior Court asbestos cases have been assigned to the Complex Litigation Docket in Hartford. Where federal jurisdiction exists, a case may be in the U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut, which sits in Hartford, New Haven, and Bridgeport.

What if I worked at Combustion Engineering Windsor?

At least 9 trusts list the Combustion Engineering Windsor works, including Combustion Engineering's own asbestos trust. If Combustion Engineering was your employer, your claim against Combustion Engineering itself runs through workers' compensation rather than a lawsuit; whether its asbestos trust accepts a claim from a former employee depends on that trust's own procedures, which we check. Claims against the makers of other products used at the works are not barred.

What if I worked at Electric Boat in Groton?

At least 11 trusts list the Electric Boat shipyard. Electric Boat's shipyard workers are typically covered by federal LHWCA benefits, which bar a lawsuit against Electric Boat itself but not against the companies that made the products. LHWCA has strict rules for settling with those companies, so we coordinate the two. Navy veterans who served aboard submarines may also qualify for VA service-connected disability.

What if I served at the Naval Submarine Base or the Coast Guard Academy?

Navy and Coast Guard veterans may qualify for VA service-connected disability with proof of in-service asbestos exposure and a doctor's opinion linking the disease to service. Federal civilian employees are covered by FECA. Federal installations generally can't be sued like a private owner, but the companies that made the asbestos products used there can be. A civil or trust recovery doesn't reduce VA disability; FECA must be repaid from a recovery.

Talk with a Connecticut mesothelioma lawyer

Whether your family is dealing with a new diagnosis, a very sick loved one, or a death from mesothelioma, we can help you understand the claim paths Connecticut law makes available — and act on the ones that fit your family.

You do not need to know the product names. You do not need to have all the records. You do not need to travel to our office. A spouse or adult child can call for the family.

Call 833-4-ASBESTOS Request a free case review

Sources and references

Statutes

Conn. Gen. Stat. § 31-284 — Workers' compensation exclusive remedy.
Conn. Gen. Stat. § 31-291 — Principal employer; immunity from suit only if it paid compensation.
Conn. Gen. Stat. § 31-293 — Third-party claims, notice, and the employer's lien.
Conn. Gen. Stat. § 31-293a — Co-employee immunity.
Conn. Gen. Stat. § 52-195 — Effect of rejecting a defendant's offer of compromise (costs after the offer, including attorney's fees up to $350).
Conn. Gen. Stat. § 52-216a — Releases and settlements not shown to the jury.
Conn. Gen. Stat. § 52-225a — Post-verdict collateral-source reduction of economic damages; no reduction for sources with a right of subrogation.
Conn. Gen. Stat. § 52-240b — Punitive damages in product liability actions; amount set by the court, up to twice the damages.
Conn. Gen. Stat. § 52-257 — Costs of the prevailing party.
Conn. Gen. Stat. § 52-555 — Wrongful death; two years from death, five years from the act or omission.
Conn. Gen. Stat. § 52-555b — Spouse's consortium claim for a death joined with the death action.
Conn. Gen. Stat. § 52-572h — Negligence: comparative fault, proportionate liability, reallocation, settlement credits, abolition of assumption of risk and last clear chance.
Conn. Gen. Stat. § 52-572l — Misuse and knowing-use defenses preserved in strict liability.
Conn. Gen. Stat. §§ 52-572m to 52-572q — Connecticut Product Liability Act; § 52-572n exclusivity; § 52-572q failure to warn.
Conn. Gen. Stat. § 52-572o — Product liability comparative responsibility and joint and several liability.
Conn. Gen. Stat. § 52-577a — Product liability limitations: three years from discovery; ten-year repose; subsection (e) asbestos exception to the ten-year repose, up to 80 years from last exposure.
Conn. Gen. Stat. § 52-577c — Two years for exposure to hazardous substances released into the environment.
Conn. Gen. Stat. § 52-584 — Negligence: two years from discovery, three years from the act or omission.
Conn. Gen. Stat. § 52-584a — Architects, engineers, and land surveyors: seven years from substantial completion.
Conn. Gen. Stat. § 52-595 — Fraudulent concealment.
Conn. Gen. Stat. § 52-599 — Survival of causes of action.
33 U.S.C. § 905(a) — LHWCA exclusive liability of the employer.
33 U.S.C. § 933 — LHWCA third-party claims: assignment, credit, and prior written approval of settlements.

Cases

Barry v. Quality Steel Prods., Inc., 263 Conn. 424 (Conn. 2003) — Superseding cause abandoned where a third party's later negligence combines with the defendant's; substantial-factor test of proximate cause.
Bauer v. Johns-Manville Corp., 599 F. Supp. 33 (D. Conn. 1984) — § 52-577a's three-year period applied to an asbestos wrongful-death claim against product makers.
Campos v. Coleman, 319 Conn. 36 (Conn. 2015) — A minor child's claim for loss of parental consortium.
Champagne v. Raybestos-Manhattan, Inc., 212 Conn. 509, 562 A.2d 1100 (Conn. 1989) — An Electric Boat asbestos case; common-law punitive damages limited to the cost of litigation less taxable costs.
Corcoran v. Jacovino, 161 Conn. 462 (Conn. 1971) — Status-based premises duty.
Greco v. United Technologies Corp., 277 Conn. 337 (Conn. 2006) — § 52-555's time limit is jurisdictional and barred workers' estates' latent-disease death claims.
Hopson v. St. Mary's Hosp., 176 Conn. 485 (Conn. 1979) — Spousal loss of consortium recognized.
Larsen Chelsey Realty Co. v. Larsen, 232 Conn. 480 (Conn. 1995) — Common-law punitive damages.
Lynn v. Haybuster Mfg., Inc., 226 Conn. 282 (Conn. 1993) — A spouse's consortium claim may accompany a product liability claim.
Mahoney v. Beatman, 110 Conn. 184 (Conn. 1929) — Substantial-factor causation.
Marciano v. Jiminez, 324 Conn. 70 (Conn. 2016) — No collateral-source reduction for a source with any right of subrogation.
Small v. South Norwalk Sav. Bank, 205 Conn. 751 (Conn. 1988) — Negligence per se.
Smith v. Town of Greenwich, 278 Conn. 428 (Conn. 2006) — A possessor's nondelegable duty to keep premises reasonably safe.
Soto v. Bushmaster Firearms Int'l, LLC, 331 Conn. 53 (Conn. 2019) — The wrongful-death statute does not create a cause of action independent of the decedent's own claims.
Staudinger v. Barrett, 208 Conn. 94 (Conn. 1988) — Negligence per se elements.
Suarez v. Dickmont Plastics Corp., 229 Conn. 99 (Conn. 1994), and Suarez II, 242 Conn. 255 (Conn. 1997) — Intentional-tort exception to workers' compensation exclusivity: actual intent or a deliberately created danger that made injury substantially certain.
Warren v. Stancliff, 157 Conn. 216 (Conn. 1968) — Duty of reasonable care to invitees.

Last reviewed: October 2026. The Law Offices of Justinian C. Lane, Esq. — PLLC | Round Rock, TX · Mesa, AZ · Redmond, WA. We partner with firms in every relevant jurisdiction so claims can be handled in the appropriate court or claims system.

This page is provided for general informational purposes and does not constitute legal advice. Every asbestos case turns on its own facts, exposure history, diagnosis, deadlines, available evidence, and applicable law. Reviewing this page does not create an attorney-client relationship. For advice about your specific situation, call 833-4-ASBESTOS for a free case review.