There isn't just one way to seek compensation for asbestos exposure. The right path depends on who was harmed, how many people share your situation, and how you were exposed. Knowing the main types of claims helps you understand what your family may be able to pursue.
If a loved one has died from an asbestos disease, a wrongful death claim lets surviving family members recover for their loss. When many people are injured by the same products, cases are often grouped. A mass tort keeps each person's case individual while coordinating them for efficiency, and a class action combines many claimants into a single suit. Talc litigation covers claims that asbestos-contaminated talcum powder contributed to disease, a fast-growing area of these cases.
Some claims turn on where you worked. The Jones Act gives sailors and other maritime workers a specific route to recover for exposure aboard ships, where asbestos insulation was once everywhere.
Every term below links to a full plain-language definition, so you can see which type of claim fits your circumstances.
Terms in this category
- Civil ConspiracyCivil conspiracy is a claim that two or more parties agreed to act together to accomplish an unlawful purpose…
- Class ActionA class action is a lawsuit in which one or a few named plaintiffs sue on behalf of a much larger group of pe…
- Fraudulent MisrepresentationFraudulent misrepresentation is a claim that a party made a false statement of fact that it knew was false, o…
- Jones ActThe Jones Act (formally the Merchant Marine Act of 1920) is a federal law that lets seamen who are injured in…
- Mass TortA mass tort is a type of litigation in which many individuals, sometimes thousands, bring separate but relate…
- Talc LitigationTalc litigation refers to civil lawsuits against producers and sellers of talc-based products, especially cos…
- UnseaworthinessUnseaworthiness is a claim that lets a seaman recover from a vessel's owner when the ship, its equipment or i…
Terms in this category
Browse the full Lexicon, or talk it through with a member of our litigation team, not a screener, at 833-4-ASBESTOS.