Worked in a Florida Shipyard and Diagnosed with Mesothelioma? Your Family Has Options.

A mesothelioma claim for a shipyard worker in Florida may follow more than one legal path. The right path depends on three things. Who employed you. Where the work happened. How you were exposed to asbestos. This guide explains the main paths in plain language. It can help you understand your options before you decide what to do next.

Who This Page Is For and What a Maritime Mesothelioma Claim Means

A maritime mesothelioma claim is a claim for an asbestos-related cancer. The illness came from work on ships, at docks, or on other waterfront jobs.

This page is for Florida shipyard, dock, and vessel workers. It is for workers who have been diagnosed with mesothelioma. It is also for the spouses and adult children of workers who have died from it.

Mesothelioma is a rare cancer. It forms in the thin lining around the lungs, chest, or abdomen. The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry says its signs may take 30 to 40 years to appear after exposure.

That long gap is why many workers do not connect the illness to a job until years later. People often change employers, retire, or move before a diagnosis arrives. Old job papers can be hard to find. Start looking for them early.

Maritime work raises one more question: where did it happen? Keep following your doctors’ care while you sort this out.

How Maritime Law Can Change a Shipyard Asbestos Claim

Maritime law is the body of law that covers ships and waterfront work. It can add routes beyond a standard injury case. Each route has its own rules.

• The injured worker has the right to a jury trial. If the seaman dies from the injury, the personal representative (the person who manages the estate) may bring the case.
• Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act (LHWCA). Under 33 U.S.C. § 903, compensation is payable for disability or death from an injury on the navigable waters of the United States. This includes nearby piers, wharves, dry docks, and terminals. These places are used to load, repair, or build a vessel.
• Third-party product claims. Suits against makers or suppliers of asbestos-containing products can run alongside a maritime claim.

Deadlines differ by route. They can be short. Contact a lawyer promptly.

Workers’ Compensation, Benefits, and How They Fit With a Lawsuit

Workers’ compensation pays benefits. A lawsuit seeks money damages. The two follow different rules. Sometimes both paths matter.

• Exclusive remedy. Under 33 U.S.C. § 905(a), the employer’s compensation liability is generally exclusive. This means benefits are the exclusive remedy against the employer, in place of all other liability of the employer to the employee. If an employer fails to secure payment of compensation, the injured worker may sue instead.
• Notice. An occupational disease is an illness caused by work. Some occupational diseases do not cause disability or death right away. For these, 33 U.S.C. § 912(a) requires notice. Notice must be given within one year after the worker becomes aware of the link between the job, the disease, and the harm.
• Filing. 33 U.S.C. § 913(b)(2) allows a claim within two years after that awareness. It also allows a claim within one year of the last payment. The later date applies.
• Florida rules. Fla. Stat. § 440.151 requires that the nature of the job be the major contributing cause of the disease. Medical evidence must show this.
• Clear proof. Under the same section, causation (what caused the illness) and sufficient exposure to a specific harmful substance shown to be present in the workplace must be proven by clear and convincing evidence. Proving these claims depends on the specific facts of each case, and evidence needs can differ from one situation to another.
• Last employer. For dust diseases, only the last employer where the worker was exposed for at least 60 days is liable.

Your employment records help sort out which benefits and claims may apply.

Proving Asbestos Exposure at Florida Shipyards and on Vessels

A claim turns on where, when, and how you were exposed to asbestos. Proof usually combines your work history with medical records.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration says occupational asbestos exposure increases the risk of lung cancer and mesothelioma. It also says these diseases have a delayed onset. That means they appear years later. The ATSDR says exposure to amphibole asbestos (a type of asbestos fiber) is linked to an increased risk of mesothelioma.

Useful proof often includes:

• Job records, union or employment history, and pay records
• Social Security earnings records
• Military service records, if you served
• Coworker statements and names of crews or foremen
• Photos of job sites, vessels, or repair work

Questions often focus on tasks such as insulation work, gasket changes, boiler rooms, pipefitting, and ship repair. Pathology reports and medical records confirm the diagnosis. Your work history links that diagnosis to the workplace. Family members exposed through a worker’s clothing or home contact may raise questions worth discussing, too.

What to Expect: Steps and Timeline After You Contact a Florida Firm

After you reach out, the firm reviews your diagnosis and work history. It gathers records. Then it explains which routes may apply.

1. Free consultation. A free, confidential initial consultation reviews your diagnosis, work history, and any benefits or filings you already have. You have no obligation to continue.
2. Records. Medical records, employment history, and military or union documents are gathered.
3. Exposure investigation. The vessels, shipyards, products, and coworkers tied to the work are identified.
4. Route review. The firm weighs the Jones Act, LHWCA benefits, general maritime claims, product claims, and whether an asbestos trust claim may apply.
5. Under Fla. Stat. § 774.206, the limitations period (the legal time limit to file) for an asbestos claim not barred as of the effective date of this act does not begin to run until the exposed person discovers, or should have discovered, that he or she is physically impaired by an asbestos-related condition.
6. Federal bankruptcy law also lets some asbestos claims be paid through a trust. This happens separately from a lawsuit.
7. Filing and resolution. Timelines vary by case. The firm cannot predict a result, a timeline, or an amount. CHG charges no attorney’s fees and no case costs unless there is a recovery.

Why Contact CHG Personal Injury Lawyers for a Florida Maritime Asbestos Claim

CHG Personal Injury Lawyers is a Florida-based firm. It represents injured people throughout Florida. This includes people with mesothelioma and maritime injury matters.

• Florida focus. The firm represents clients throughout Florida, including people in Tampa, Jacksonville, Miami, and Orlando.
• Responsible lawyer. Igor Hernandez is the responsible lawyer for this page. Our attorneys are licensed and admitted to The Florida Bar.
• Practice focus. The firm focuses on personal injury. This ranges from car and truck crashes to catastrophic injuries and wrongful death. It also handles mesothelioma and maritime claims.
• Shared handling. Some mesothelioma and maritime matters may be referred to, or handled together with, another law firm. If that happens, we will explain the arrangement to you.

If you worked in a Florida shipyard or on a vessel, and you now face a mesothelioma diagnosis, our team can help. You may also be weighing a wrongful-death claim for a family member. We can help you see which routes may apply. Contact CHG Personal Injury Lawyers for a free, confidential initial consultation.

Frequently Asked Questions About Shipyard Workers and Maritime Asbestos Claims