Kansas Mesothelioma Lawyer

How to Find and Choose a Kansas Mesothelioma Lawyer

When choosing a mesothelioma attorney for asbestos claims in Kansas, it’s important to look for expertise, transparency and the human touch. Good mesothelioma lawyers treat you like a person, answer your questions and support you throughout the legal process. They stay up to date with new cases and regulations in Kansas.

On average, there are 20 new cases of mesothelioma in Kansas every year. For those 20 families, a diagnosis raises countless legal questions. A caring lawyer with experience in asbestos cases helps you understand what steps to take to file a claim.

According to industry data, the top law firms for mesothelioma cases in terms of experience and reputation include Simmons Hanly Conroy, Weitz & Luxenberg and Meirowitz & Wasserberg. These national firms have extensive resources and help hundreds of patients and family members every year.

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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Compensation for Asbestos Filings in Kansas

In Kansas, many people with mesothelioma have received millions of dollars through trial verdicts and settlements. The amount of asbestos compensation you can receive depends on several factors, such as the duration and intensity of your asbestos exposure.

Notable Kansas Settlements, Verdicts or Trust Funds

• $4.68 million (verdict): Case involving an electrician from Lenexa.
• $4.56 million (verdict): Jury award for worker in Chanute with mesothelioma.
• $3.36 million (settlement): Asbestos exposure settlement for a maintenance worker from Wichita.
• $3.17 million (settlement): Mesothelioma case for a transportation industry mechanic from Wichita.
• $3 million (settlement): Rose Hill mesothelioma patient who was exposed to asbestos in the U.S. Army.
• $2.8 million (settlement): Oil refinery laborer from Arkansas City who developed an asbestos-related illness.

Mesothelioma settlements often range from $1 million to $2 million. Top mesothelioma lawyers have also secured 6-figure payouts from trust funds. An experienced Kansas asbestos attorney can meet with you in your home and guide you on which trust funds you may be eligible to file with.

How Does an Asbestos Lawyer Handle Your Claim in Kansas?

An experienced Kansas mesothelioma lawyer handles your claim by helping you understand the legal process and keeping you updated on the status of your claim. They can determine if any special rules apply to your specific case and advise on the best course of action. 

Steps to a Mesothelioma Claim

1. Initial visit: The law firm assigns an experienced lawyer to visit you and learn more about your case.
2. Information: The attorney is happy to answer questions about your case, such as filing deadlines.
3. Filing and evidence: You can expect asbestos lawyers to handle the entire filing process, including submitting the necessary records for your case.
4. Discovery: Your legal team gathers more documents and evidence, and the other side does the same.
5. Negotiation or court: With a strong case, defendants often prefer to settle. Sometimes, the case goes to court. In either situation, your lawyer strives to get you substantial compensation.

Your lawyer will handle each step of your mesothelioma lawsuit, including filing and gathering evidence. Asbestos attorneys usually travel to your location in person and also follow up with phone or video chats.

Asbestos Exposure in Kansas

Much of Kansas’ history includes farming and the aviation industry. Both used asbestos products to prevent fires. Many manufacturing facilities, industrial sites and military bases in Kansas also used the toxic mineral. Kansas City has a higher rate of asbestos-related illnesses than nearly every other city in the state.

Sites in Kansas Known for Asbestos Exposure

• American Salt Company: Workers were exposed to asbestos at the company’s Lyon site. 
• Boeing: The company’s Kansas operations, particularly in Wichita, have a history of asbestos use and worker exposure.
• Chemical Sealing Corporation: A 1972 survey revealed the Kansas City company was responsible for asbestos exposure.  
• Compass Resources: The Occupational Safety and Health Administration cited Compass Resources in Lakewood for exposing workers to asbestos in December 2021.
• Diversified Insulation: The company, also known as Shelter Shield and WRG, was a manufacturer and supplier of asbestos insulation products in Kansas.
• Dodson Manufacturing Company: This Wichita-based manufacturer produced products that may have contained asbestos.
• Georgia-Pacific: Both Georgia-Pacific and its subsidiary Bestwall Gypsum exposed workers to asbestos in construction materials. 
• Harcros Chemical Incorporated: Founded in 1917, Harcos was Kansas’s first chemical plant. The Kansas City facility used asbestos to insulate machinery.
• Trans World Airlines, Inc. and Cessna Aircraft Company: Both aviation companies were known for asbestos exposure at their Kansas sites.

Many buildings in Kansas constructed before 1980 likely contain asbestos. Asbestos products like flooring and ceiling tiles were used throughout older schools, including in science labs, classrooms and auditoriums. Students, teachers and staff can still be at risk of asbestos exposure from legacy asbestos.

Kansas’s Most Well-Known Exposure Site: MARCO

Also known as the Mid-America Refining Company, the MARCO refinery in Chanute operated from the 1940s to 1981. It used asbestos materials throughout the refinery to insulate high-heat machines and processes, exposing factory workers, plumbers and maintenance personnel to the dangerous fibers.

In the late 1980s, the Kansas Department of Health and Environment evaluated soil and water at the site, finding asbestos, lead, arsenic, benzene and other cancer-causing substances. In the early 1990s, the EPA performed another assessment, confirming the presence of asbestos, mercury and poisonous chemicals. Cleanup actions required excavating more than 200,000 tons of contaminated soil.

Occupational Asbestos Exposure in Kansas

Most people in Kansas who came into contact with asbestos were exposed at their workplaces. Many were construction workers, auto mechanics, insulation workers, maintenance staff and electricians. Workers in Kansas’s large aircraft manufacturing industry also faced occupational exposure.

Higher-Risk Jobs in Kansas

• Auto mechanics
• Aviation workers
• Boiler operators
• Carpenters
• Demolition crews
• Electricians
• Factory workers 
• Farmers
• Insulation workers
• Machinists
• Maintenance workers
• Military members
• Plumbers
• Roofers
• Welders

Kansas courts have also held companies responsible for secondary asbestos exposure. This happens when someone who works around asbestos brings the asbestos dust home on their clothes, skin or hair. Family members can breathe in the toxic microscopic fibers without knowing it.

People exposed in this way can also develop mesothelioma, as seen in the case of Cheryl Pilkington. She grew up in Coffeyville, Kansas. As a little girl, she was exposed to asbestos from the thick plaster dust in her father’s metal shop. “My sister blames herself. She says she used to bury my head in that plaster,” Pilkington said.

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

Kansas courts have sided frequently with asbestos survivors and their family members who have experienced lawyers. At the same time, state regulations have made the process of filing asbestos claims more difficult and time-consuming, with certain limits on total compensation.

Kansas Legislative Changes

• Asbestos Trust Claims Transparency Act: Courts in Kansas require mesothelioma patients to apply for and show records of all compensation received from asbestos trust funds. To prevent this from slowing down your case, attorneys handle the applications ahead of time.
• Statute 60-19a02: In any personal injury or wrongful death cases, including mesothelioma lawsuits, Kansas caps any noneconomic damages at $350,000. This limits the amount of punitive damages or compensation for pain and suffering you can recover in the state.
• Statute 60-4904: The statute of limitations for asbestos exposure claims in Kansas doesn’t begin until you receive a medical diagnosis. When filing your mesothelioma claim, your attorney has to include medical records from a board-certified doctor.
• Statute 60-4905: Kansas laws generally protect building owners from asbestos claims involving independent contractors. There are exceptions, such as when a property owner provided work instructions that caused asbestos exposure.

Mesothelioma law firms in Kansas have experience with local regulations and know how to handle asbestos cases effectively in the state. Depending on the circumstances of your case, your attorney may recommend filing in a different state so you can avoid the cap on noneconomic damages. Many cases of asbestos exposure in Kansas involve products from out-of-state manufacturers.