Alaska Mesothelioma Lawyer

How To Find and Choose an Alaska Mesothelioma Lawyer

If you have an asbestos-related illness, an Alaska mesothelioma attorney can assess if you’re eligible and file a personal injury lawsuit or asbestos trust fund claim for you. Families who have lost a loved one to mesothelioma may be able to file a wrongful death claim. The goal is to help you pursue compensation efficiently, while managing the process on your behalf.

While there were only 43 new mesothelioma diagnoses reported in Alaska between 2018 and 2022, the state has a higher-than-average rate for its population size. The state’s heavy industrial activity and natural asbestos deposits are a likely reason.

National mesothelioma law firms have extensive experience in asbestos exposure cases. According to KCIC’s 2025 Asbestos Litigation Report, Simmons Hanly Conroy and Weitz & Luxenberg are among the largest firms in Alaska, helping more than 500 people with mesothelioma in 2024.

Weitz & Luxenberg

• $8.5 Billion Recovered
• Serves Clients Nationwide
• Rated #1 by U.S. News & World Report for 2022

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Simmons Hanly Conroy

• $8.9 Billion Recovered
• Serves Clients Nationwide
• Rated a Tier 1 Law Firm in 2022 by U.S. News & World Report

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Meirowitz & Wasserberg

• $200 Million Recovered
• Serves Clients Nationwide
• Rated in the Top 10 Asbestos and Mesothelioma Trial Lawyers

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Compensation From Asbestos Filings in Alaska

In Alaska, many people with mesothelioma have received substantial compensation from settlements and trial verdicts. Payout amounts depend on several factors, including the details of your asbestos exposure and the defendant’s responsibility for your exposure.

Notable Alaska Settlements, Verdicts or Trust Fund Payouts

• $16.7 million (trial verdict): Alaskan mesothelioma survivor Dr. Jerry Kudenov and wife Kathryn won an asbestos-exposure suit in California against Thomas Scientific. The company sold lab equipment that contained asbestos but marketed it as safe.
• $3.99 million (settlement): Army veteran from Delta Junction, AK
• $2 million (settlement): 54-year-old army veteran and mechanic
• $1.9 million (settlement): Claim against Kaiser Gypsum Company from a union welder and worker in Alaska
• $1.39 million (settlement): Union carpenter and mill worker in Kasilof, AK
• $1.2 million (settlement): 51-year-old construction worker and carpenter
• $900,000 (settlement): Secondhand exposure case in Nikiski, AK

Mesothelioma settlements usually range from $1 million to $2 million. Across the country, the average trial verdict for mesothelioma cases reached $20.7 million in 2024, according to Mealey’s Litigation Report. Top lawyers have also helped clients get 6-figure payments from asbestos trust funds.

How Does an Asbestos Lawyer Handle Your Claim in Alaska?

Experienced mesothelioma lawyers can guide you and your family and manage the legal process. They travel to your home so the process is as comfortable as possible for you.

Steps to a Mesothelioma Claim

1. Case review: The first step is to review your case and determine the best jurisdiction in Alaska or elsewhere to file depending on the details of your claim.
2. Evidence gathering: Mesothelioma lawyers talk to you and research exposure sites in Alaska, like the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System, to see if you’re eligible to seek damages.
3. Filing: Your attorney handles the complete filing process, letting you spend time with friends and family.
4. Research and discovery: During discovery, asbestos attorneys gather more evidence, often interviewing witnesses.
5. Settlement or trial: Skilled attorneys often convince defendants to settle with you, so the process is as efficient and low-stress as possible. Otherwise, your lawyer will draw on their experience in Alaska courts to represent you in a trial.

Mesothelioma lawyers can also help clients determine if a bankrupt company with responsibility for your exposure has set up an asbestos trust fund. An experienced Alaska asbestos attorney will review your work history and medical records to help you file according to each trust’s specific requirements if you’re eligible.

Find the Right Mesothelioma Attorney for You

We get your case in front of the right mesothelioma law firm and stay by your side so you can focus on your health.

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Asbestos Exposure in Alaska

Alaskans have faced asbestos exposure through various sources, particularly because of its widespread use in industries across the state. Processed asbestos was commonly used in commercial products such as insulation, pipe and furnace wraps, roof shingles, floor tiles and textured paints.

Sites in Alaska Known for Asbestos Exposure

• Alaskan Pipeline: Asbestos was present at the Alaskan Pipeline in Valdez. Asbestos-containing materials were widely used during the construction and operation of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System.
• Military installations: Elmendorf Air Force Base, Ladd Air Force Base at Fairbanks and the U.S. Naval Base at Kodiak exposed personnel to asbestos. The toxic material was used extensively in aircraft, vehicle parts and building construction.
• Mining sites: Bonnie Brae Quarry, California Creek Mine, Lemon Creek Quarry, Treadwell Quarry and Slate Creek Asbestos are major asbestos mining sites in the state. 
• Mountain Aviation of Sitka: In 1998, Mountain Aviation of Sitka and manager Mark Hackett pleaded guilty to improperly handling and disposing of asbestos. The company hired teenagers to clean up asbestos-contaminated materials without protective gear and dump them near a school.

Many buildings constructed before 1980, including schools in Alaska, likely contain legacy asbestos materials. These materials require regular inspections to ensure they don’t pose a health risk. Cleanup and monitoring at these locations continue under EPA and state oversight.

The Arctic Surplus Salvage Yard

The Arctic Surplus Salvage Yard is a 25-acre site located just 6 miles from Fairbanks, AK. For decades, the U.S. Department of Defense used part of the site as a landfill. From the 1960s to the 1980s, companies used it for industrial activity, such as lead recycling and explosive scrap collection.

In the late 1980s, Alaska’s Department of Environmental Conservation discovered that Arctic Surplus was heavily contaminated with hazardous materials, including more than 22,000 pounds of asbestos. Asbestos removal and other cleanup efforts finally finished in 2005.

Occupational Asbestos Exposure in Alaska

Many Alaskans have faced occupational asbestos exposure in industries such as oil, gas, mining, shipbuilding, construction and the military. Asbestos was commonly used in equipment, insulation and building materials, putting workers and often their families at risk.

Higher-Risk Jobs in Alaska

• Construction
• Electricians
• Firefighters
• Machinists
• Military personnel
• Milling
• Mining
• Oil refining
• Power generation
• Shipbuilding
• Teachers

In Alaska, courts can hold companies responsible for secondary asbestos exposure, which can occur when workers inadvertently bring asbestos dust home. The microscopic fibers can stick to clothing, hair, skin, shoes and gear. Asbestos fibers can then transfer to upholstery and carpeting in the home, as well as to others when hugging. Handling asbestos-contaminated laundry over time, for example, can put loved ones at higher risk for mesothelioma or lung cancer.

How Your Lawyer Supports You in Alaska’s Changing Asbestos Litigation

Mesothelioma lawyers in Alaska can help you understand and navigate the state’s changing laws and regulations. For example, your lawyer can track filing deadlines and gather evidence to support your claim. Law firms with experience in asbestos cases may also suggest filing your case in a different state. This can allow you to avoid Alaska’s cap on damages and other requirements that cause challenges for patients seeking compensation.

Alaska Legislative Changes

• Bill CSHB 158: This bill updates state laws and limits the amount of time Alaskan families have to file a personal injury or wrongful death lawsuit to 2 years. It also limits economic and non-economic damages to a max of $500,000 for these lawsuits. There is also a cap on punitive damages, and Alaska requires half of the money to go to the state’s land fund.
• Bill CSHB 258: This bill gives contractors immunity from asbestos lawsuits when they use gravel that contains naturally occurring asbestos from government-approved sites. This effectively prevents employees or local residents from suing if they develop mesothelioma later, but only if the contractors followed all the required planning and site investigation steps.
• Statute AS 09.10.055 (2024): This statute limits the time to file a personal injury claim against contractors to 10 years, even if doctors don’t diagnose the injury until later. There is an exception for undiscovered foreign objects in the body, and skilled lawyers can argue that it applies to asbestos fibers.
• Statute AS 09.17.040 (2024): Alaska’s comparative fault policy limits the amount of damages you can receive if a jury finds that you are partially at fault for the asbestos exposure. This update is an improvement because state laws used to deny all compensation even in 1% patient fault cases.

In July 2023, a federal judge dismissed Alaska’s lawsuit against the U.S. government over toxic contamination, including asbestos, on Native corporation lands transferred under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act. The court ruled the government was only obligated to identify the sites, not to clean them up. Some of the sites pose health risks to nearby Native communities.