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In case you've missed our blog recently, we've been talking about marine veteran John Johnson's asbestos case.

Johnson died hours after collapsing during his deposition. His family, doctor and lawyers believe that defense attorneys deliberately dragged out the process hoping he  would die before the case ended.

This sad story exposes some ugly truths about the asbestos case process. But it doesn’t have to be that way.

Marine veteran John Johnson recently lost his battle with mesothelioma. Instead of spending his final days with family, he spent them in a room with the defense lawyers in his mesothelioma lawsuit.

An article in  The Los Angeles Times suggests that the defendants intentionally dragged out Johnson's deposition.

I'm not surprised at any delay tactics. That's common in litigation.

(This is the first in a series about the case process. This month we'll take a look at the sometimes ugly truth about litigation and how you can make the most of the process.)

When it comes to lawsuits, California is often considered a plaintiff-friendly state. In fact, it currently ranks second on the American Tort Reform Foundation's list of "judicial hellholes" for defendants. But what happened to John Johnson, a marine veteran and mesothelioma lawsuit plaintiff, can hardly be considered friendly.

Mr. Johnson developed malignant mesothelioma caused by asbestos exposure. He sued several companies that were allegedly responsible for his asbestos exposure and injuries. An LA Times article, suggests these defendants may have compromised his health further by putting him through a demanding deposition schedule.

This week I'm blogging from home in my PJ's because I'm under the weather. I'm only half-joking when I say last week's post might have something to do with it.

Last week I explained how building owners like landlords must notify tenants if asbestos is present. I also mentioned safety precautions that landlords must take to avoid asbestos exposure.

Things like hiring qualified inspectors and contractors to locate asbestos hazards and do any abatement work. I also talked about government standards to make sure asbestos is handled properly.

When I pass a construction site, I often wonder if proper safety precautions are in place to prevent asbestos exposure. A few steps later, I usually relax and stop worrying about it.

But what if you encounter an actual asbestos danger? Even worse, what if it's in your home? Walking down the street won't fix that problem.

Outreach Coordinator Ben Leer recently shared how Laura Haywood found out her new home was undergoing asbestos abatement. News about asbestos exposure usually involve workers who've been exposed on the job.

People with serious illnesses and their caregivers are usually experts at coping. Still, we often forget to ask for help with some things. For me, taxes were one of those things.

When I was younger, I always prepared and filed my returns early. When I got married, my husband warned me that we should hire an accountant before our taxes got more complicated. But I insisted on doing them myself.

I had egg on my face when my parents got sick and I tried to do taxes for two households. I fell into a habit of focusing on the many things that required my immediate attention and putting off the taxes. One year, I had to file three sets of return – for me, my dad, and my mom’s estate. I finally admitted that I needed an accountant’s help.

"Karen, you need to get it together. Now."

My mom was really sick, but her voice was very firm. It was as if she had reached through the phone to give me a good shake.

She had found out about the cancerous tumor in her stomach a few weeks earlier. She needed surgery and I grew anxious as the date drew near.

I recently found out that my mom may have died because of occupational asbestos exposure. At the time, we didn't know that asbestos exposure may have caused her stomach cancer.

My mom lived a relatively healthy lifestyle. Not knowing what caused her cancer really bothered her. So, I think finding out the potential cause would have relieved her a little.

But that relief likely would have disappeared a few seconds later when she realized her suffering was preventable. Finding out someone's negligence may have jeopardized her life probably would have made her sad, angry, or both.

If you've been following the legal blog this month, you know I recently found out that my mom may have been exposed to asbestos at work.  This month, I’m reflecting on my family’s experience and what we would have done if we had found out about asbestos earlier.

In last week’s post, we walked through some things you can do and questions you can ask to find out if asbestos exposure is responsible for your illness. This week we’ll take a closer look at what you can do once you’re aware that asbestos is a contributing factor to your illness.

Unfortunately, my mother died of stomach cancer in March 2006. Her name was Lena and she was an amazing woman.

A few months ago, I found out that my mom may have developed stomach cancer because of asbestos exposure.

This month marks the anniversary of her death from the terrible disease. So I’ve decided to honor her memory and your courage by walking in your shoes. I’ll take you through the decisions my family would have faced had we discovered a link between asbestos and my mom’s illness earlier.

So let’s take a walk.