Many Minnesota residents have experienced or have helped care for someone who has experienced negative health effects from repeated inhalation of, and contact with, toxic substances. Asbestos exposure is the main topic in a string of lawsuits currently being processed in another state. An attorney whose firm has actually represented thousands of people claiming to have suffered asbestos-related illnesses says an existing statute of limitations is presenting a challenge in several cases he is currently preparing for court.
It has been more than 10 years since asbestos was discovered in the vermiculite mine that has apparently made many people who worked there or lived near there very ill. Several entities have been named in claims seeking compensation for damages, including a railroad company and the state where the mine is located. Because such claims carry time limits for filing, it can be difficult when injured parties were not aware of their illnesses until much later.
Asbestos-related illnesses are not always (in fact, are rarely) immediately apparent. Symptoms sometimes do not present themselves for months or years following exposure to the microscopic particles known to cause aggressive cancers and other lung and heart diseases. In this particular situation, it seems those who worked at the mine or lived in near vicinity to it experienced symptoms long before those who lived a farther distance away.
The attorney representing the Montana residents says he has already settled hundreds of asbestos exposure cases and has at least 800 or more currently pending. An experienced Minnesota attorney would be able to advocate on behalf of anyone in this state whose illness is believed to have been caused by asbestos contamination. Aggressive representation often increases the chances of successful litigation leading to maximum recovery of losses in court.
Source: greatfallstribune.com, “Montana asbestos claims still trickling into courts“, Seaborn Larson, Sept. 18, 2017
