Facing Mesothelioma? You Do Not Have to Figure Out the Next Steps Alone

Mesothelioma Lawyer Homestead, Florida | CHG

A mesothelioma lawyer can help your family find out whether asbestos exposure may support a claim. The claim could be against the companies or property owners responsible. This page is for families in Homestead who want to talk with a mesothelioma lawyer. Mesothelioma often appears decades after exposure. That means the work starts with a careful look at the past.

CHG Personal Injury Lawyers is a Florida-based firm. We serve clients throughout Florida, including Homestead. Igor Hernandez is the responsible lawyer for this page.

What a Mesothelioma Lawyer Does for Homestead Families

A mesothelioma lawyer looks at two things:

1. How the person came into contact with asbestos.
2. Who may be responsible for that contact.

Mesothelioma is a rare cancer. The ATSDR asbestos health effects overview describes it as an asbestos-related cancer. It affects the thin layers that cover the lungs, chest, or abdomen.

If you are looking for a mesothelioma lawyer, Homestead families can trust, start by learning what that lawyer does. Most of the work includes:

• Reviewing the person’s work history, military service, and home life
• Identifying the companies, products, or property owners involved
• Gathering medical records, employment records, and witness accounts
• Deciding whether to file a lawsuit, submit a trust claim, or both

CHG Personal Injury Lawyers is a Florida personal injury firm. Our team serves clients throughout Florida, including Homestead and South Miami-Dade. Our attorneys are licensed and admitted to practice in Florida.

This page is written for patients and family members. They want to answer one question: is a claim possible?

Why Mesothelioma Appears Decades After Asbestos Exposure

Mesothelioma usually shows up long after exposure. It often appears 30 to 40 years later. The ATSDR asbestos health effects page says signs of mesothelioma may appear after a latency period of 30 to 40 years. A latency period is the time between exposure and the first signs of illness.

This long gap means a diagnosis today can trace back to a job held long ago. It can also trace back to a home renovation done years in the past.

The OSHA asbestos hazards guidance says occupational exposure increases the risk of mesothelioma. It also says these diseases have a delayed onset. In other words, they take a long time to appear.

A claim depends on where and how the person was exposed. Lawyers look at the jobsite, the building materials, the products used, and the time period. Each detail can matter.

Exposure history is often pieced together from several sources:

• Family memories
• Old pay stubs
• Service records
• Coworker recollections

Write down everything you remember now. Include details that seem small.

Follow your doctors’ care. Share every job, worksite, and home renovation with your medical team, too.

Who May Have a Mesothelioma Claim

Anyone exposed to asbestos through work, home life, or military service may have a claim. The facts of each situation decide whether a claim is possible.

• Workplace exposure. Construction, shipyard, industrial, maintenance, and renovation work often involved asbestos-containing materials. Workers who installed, removed, or cut those materials could breathe in fibers.
• Take-home exposure. Family members can breathe in fibers carried home on a worker’s clothing, shoes, hair, or tools. Spouses and children are examples of people exposed this way.
• Military exposure. Service members who worked around asbestos on ships, at bases, or with older equipment may also have a claim. Service records often matter most in these cases.
• Household exposure. Repair or renovation work at home can disturb older building materials. Share those details with your lawyer.

The ATSDR asbestos overview notes that exposure to amphibole asbestos (a type of asbestos fiber) is linked to an increased risk of mesothelioma. Knowing which type of asbestos was involved can help with your medical and legal review.

What Compensation May Cover and How Bankruptcy Trusts Fit In

A claim can seek compensation for losses such as medical costs and lost income. Asbestos bankruptcy trusts may pay claims separately from a lawsuit. These trusts are funds that companies set up when they go through bankruptcy.

Many companies that made asbestos products went through bankruptcy. Some set up trusts to pay people who were hurt. A trust claim and a lawsuit can run on different tracks. A lawyer can review which options fit the facts.

Federal bankruptcy law also addresses how asbestos injury claims are handled when a company reorganizes. See 11 U.S.C. § 524.

Florida limits some remedies in asbestos cases. Fla. Stat. § 774.207 says punitive damages (extra money meant to punish a wrongdoer) may not be awarded in any civil action alleging an asbestos claim.

If a loved one has died, the Florida Wrongful Death Act applies. Florida’s wrongful death law is found in sections 768.16-768.26 of the Florida Statutes, called the “Florida Wrongful Death Act.”

No one can promise a result or an amount.

How the Process Works, Step by Step

The process starts with a free consultation. It then moves through records and a review of responsible parties. It ends with either a lawsuit or a trust claim.

1. Free, confidential consultation. You share the diagnosis, your work and home history, and any known exposure sites. There is no obligation to continue.
2. Records gathering. We help collect medical, employment, and service records. We also map each exposure.
3. Identifying responsible parties. We review which companies, products, and trusts may be involved.
4. Filing or submitting. We file a lawsuit or submit a trust claim. We keep your family updated.

CHG charges no attorney’s fees and no case costs unless there is a recovery.

Florida’s rules and deadlines apply to every step:

• Deadlines. Florida law sets a two-year limit for actions based on negligence. This limit is also called a statute of limitations, which is the legal time limit for filing. See Fla. Stat. § 95.11.
• For asbestos or silica claims not barred as of the effective date of the act, Fla. Stat. § 774.206 says the limitations period does not start until the exposed person discovers, or through reasonable diligence should have discovered, that he or she is physically impaired by an asbestos-related or silica-related condition.
• Venue. Venue means which court hears a case. Under Florida law, an asbestos claim may be brought in Florida courts if the person lives in Florida or the exposure that substantially contributed to the physical impairment occurred in Florida. This applies if the plaintiff lives in Florida legally (is domiciled there). It also applies if the substantial exposure happened in Florida.
• Payment disclosure. When a complaint is filed in a civil action alleging an asbestos or silica claim, the plaintiff must file a verified written report of collateral source payments received, including future payments, based on the same claim, and update it regularly until final judgment. These are payments from other sources, such as insurance. See Fla. Stat. § 774.207.

Deadlines still apply. Contact the firm promptly rather than waiting.

Why Families Contact CHG and How Referrals Work

CHG Personal Injury Lawyers is a Florida-based firm. A mesothelioma matter may be referred to, or handled together with, another law firm.

Here is what you can verify:

• Our attorneys are licensed and admitted to practice in Florida.
• The responsible lawyer for this page is Igor Hernandez.
• The firm focuses on personal injury cases of every kind. These range from car crashes and slip-and-falls to catastrophic injuries and wrongful death.

If a mesothelioma claim is referred or shared, we will explain that arrangement. You should know who is handling your case and how to reach them.

Frequently Asked Questions About Mesothelioma Claims in Florida