Choosing a New Hampshire Mesothelioma Lawyer

Choosing an experienced mesothelioma law firm is essential to navigating New Hampshire’s complex court system and trial laws. Specialized mesothelioma attorneys understand the obstacles that patients and families face throughout the legal process.

New Hampshire residents continue to be diagnosed with mesothelioma decades after asbestos exposure at shipyards, industrial sites and other workplaces. In New Hampshire from 2018 to 2022, the mesothelioma incidence rate was 0.90 per 100,000 people and 89 new mesothelioma diagnoses were reported, according to the CDC. Experienced mesothelioma attorneys focus exclusively on these asbestos exposure cases and understand how to build strong claims for compensation.

Whether you work with a local New Hampshire attorney or a national law firm with experience in the state, your legal team should visit you in person and handle all aspects of your case while you focus on your health and family. National firm Simmons Hanly Conroy for example, has helped New Hampshirites secure more than $55 million in mesothelioma compensation.

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Compensation From Asbestos Filings in New Hampshire

Plaintiffs in New Hampshire have received millions of dollars in mesothelioma compensation, though awards vary. Many factors affect trial verdicts and mesothelioma settlements, especially the details of asbestos exposure and the extent of the defendants’ liability.

Notable New Hampshire Settlements, Verdicts or Trust Fund Payouts

  • $7.55 million (verdict): Gerald Sylvestre developed mesothelioma from working at a New Hampshire power plant. Mr. Sylvestre passed away before the jury awarded him $3 million for medical expenses and $3 million for pain and suffering. His wife, Marjorie, received the award and more than $1.5 million for loss of companionship.
  • $6.8 million (verdict): Timothy Ross passed away from mesothelioma in 2013. His wife, Amy Ross, filed a wrongful death claim related to asbestos exposure against New England Insulation, and a Massachusetts jury awarded her these economic and non-economic damages. 
  • Johns-Manville Asbestos Trust: Many New Hampshirites who worked at the Johns-Manville plant in Nashua, or their surviving family members, have filed claims with this asbestos bankruptcy trust. The trust has resolved more than 55,000 claims and paid more than $270 million.
  • National Gypsum Company: Atlantic Gypsum originally operated the Portsmouth, NH plant before National Gypsum acquired the company in 1936. Workers at this facility encountered asbestos-containing building materials that put them at risk for mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases. The National Gypsum bankruptcy trust currently pays 11% of settlement values.

Having good legal help can positively impact your ability to get fair compensation for mesothelioma. Experienced mesothelioma law firms can strengthen your claim with access to large evidence libraries, expert testimony and the resources to locate witnesses.

How Does an Asbestos Lawyer Handle Your Claim in New Hampshire?

An experienced New Hampshire mesothelioma attorney is there to help you and your family, explaining available options and offering trustworthy recommendations. In New Hampshire, you can file a personal injury case or wrongful death claim for asbestos illnesses.

Steps to a Mesothelioma Claim

  1. Initial case review: A mesothelioma lawyer will meet with you personally for an initial consultation. This provides an opportunity for you to get to know them and their communication style, getting a sense of how comfortable you’ll feel working with them.
  2. Explore your exposure history: Your legal team investigates New Hampshire asbestos sites such as the Johns-Manville manufacturing plant in Nashua that operated for more than 80 years, Merrimack Power Plant, Seabrook Station nuclear facility and textile mills like Star Specialty Knitting in Laconia. They connect these locations to your work and service history to support your claim.
  3. Complete claim filing: Asbestos law firms manage the entire claims process, from filling out documents to filing motions in court, ensuring you meet New Hampshire’s 3-year statute of limitations for personal injury and wrongful death claims. Your attorney assesses if your claim should be filed in New Hampshire or another state based on where you were exposed or where defendants are located.
  4. Discovery phase: Your attorney gathers medical records, employment records from paper mills like Monadnock Paper Mills in Bennington, shipyards or power plants and testimony from doctors and witnesses. New Hampshire courts recognize secondary exposure claims, so your lawyer may also document evidence if family members unknowingly brought asbestos home on their clothing.
  5. Settlement negotiations or trial: Most of the time, asbestos lawyers negotiate fair compensation for clients through settlements in New Hampshire. These attorneys are also prepared to represent you in court.

Your New Hampshire mesothelioma attorney handles each step in the process and manages all paperwork, updating you regularly and ensuring you never miss a critical filing date. Because New Hampshire caps non-economic damages at $875,000 for personal injury claims and $300,000 for spouses in wrongful death claims, an experienced attorney is essential to help you maximize compensation through all available legal options, particularly when multiple defendants may be involved.

Many mesothelioma patients also file claims outside of their home state depending on where exposure occurred or where companies are headquartered. A skilled legal team can assess the best approach for your specific situation.

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Asbestos Exposure in New Hampshire

New Hampshire was heavily involved in manufacturing. Textiles, shoe making and paper mills were key to the state’s economy. New Hampshire has no natural asbestos deposits or mines, but there are legal asbestos disposal sites in the Nashua-Hudson area.

Sites in New Hampshire Known for Asbestos Exposure

  • Charles Poletti Power Project: Also known as the Astoria Power Station, this site has known asbestos risks.
  • Merrimack Power Plant: This coal-fired facility on the Merrimack River generated a lot of heat through combustion turbines, which were insulated with asbestos. 
  • Monadnock Paper Mills: The Bennington plant was a likely source of asbestos exposure issues. Most paper mills in the 1960s and 1970s used talc in paper-making processes that is often contaminated with asbestos.
  • Mt. Carberry Landfill: The disposal facility in Berlin is permitted to accept asbestos waste.
  • New Hampshire Plating Company: The 13-acre Superfund site in Merrimack was once an electroplating facility from 1962 to 1985. The site was contaminated with wastewater containing metals, solvents, cyanide and other pollutants. 
  • Portsmouth Naval Yard: The shipyard is across the river from Portsmouth, New Hampshire in the town of Kittery, Maine. Asbestos materials and other contaminants were detected in 1993, and cleanup operations finished in 2003. 
  • Seabrook Station: This nuclear power plant used asbestos-containing materials for insulation and other purposes. 
  • Star Specialty Knitting: This textile company in Laconia used asbestos to insulate its machinery. 
  • Troy Mills Landfill: According to EPA documents, this Superfund site in Troy was home to a fabric manufacturer that disposed of thousands of drums of liquid waste and sludge on the site.

Buildings and schools in New Hampshire built before the 1980s are still a potential source of asbestos risks. Many were constructed with asbestos-containing products, such as insulation.

New Hampshire’s Most Well-Known Exposure Site: Johns Manville Plant

For over 80 years, the Johns-Manville manufacturing plant in Nashua, NH, produced asbestos tiles and plates. Until 1985, the facility exposed workers to the toxic material every day. It also dumped waste containing asbestos on the surrounding property, which was located just one mile from a hospital, many schools, and several residential areas.

In 1995, the city condemned the site and demolished it to avoid harmful exposure to nearby residents. EPA cleanup efforts removed over 65,000 tons of contaminated material and cost $20 million.

Fighting for Justice for Mesothelioma Survivors

Expert Take

Kevin Paul: Fighting for Justice for Mesothelioma Survivors

Being part of the fight for justice, being part of the fight for the little person. It’s something special, and you don’t realize it until you actually get into the deposition room with your client or in the trial room. Fighting for a real person is inspiration. Fighting for a real person is what makes you work the extra three days that you need to do without sleep when you’re not billing by the hour, standing up for the little guy and girl, but most importantly, being able to hug your client.


At the end of a deposition, every single defense lawyer’s jealous of that moment. They wish they had that moment, but they don’t.

Occupational Asbestos Exposure in New Hampshire

Higher-risk job sites in New Hampshire include textile mills, naval yards and power plants. These occupations had a higher risk of asbestos exposure because of the long-term presence of asbestos-containing materials, such as spray insulation and pipe coverings.

Higher-Risk Jobs in New Hampshire

  • Construction worker
  • General manufacturing worker 
  • Industrial worker
  • Mechanics
  • Military member
  • Mill worker
  • Power generation worker
  • Shipbuilder
  • Textile worker

In New Hampshire, courts have held companies responsible for secondhand asbestos exposure, or “take-home exposure.” When someone who worked with asbestos accidentally brought the toxic material home on their clothing, innocent family members could breathe in asbestos fibers. These secondary exposures can also cause mesothelioma, even if family members never visited factories in person.

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How Your Lawyer Supports You in New Hampshire’s Changing Asbestos Litigation

Unlike many regions, New Hampshire doesn’t have laws designed to limit asbestos-related lawsuits. The state does cap certain damages, however, which makes working with an experienced mesothelioma lawyer critical to ensuring patients and their families recover everything they’re entitled to.

New Hampshire Legislative Changes

  • Limits on non-economic damages: In New Hampshire, you can recover compensation for pain, suffering, loss of companionship and other non-economic damages, but there is a cap. For personal injury claims, the maximum is $875,000. In wrongful death claims, a spouse can only recover $300,000 for these damages.
  • No punitive damages: Statute 507:16 means mesothelioma claims in New Hampshire can’t recover any punitive damages against defendants, even if the company acted negligently. Compensation in the state focuses more on helping patients than on punishing the corporations responsible.
  • Workers’ compensation only: Statute 281-A:8 prevents workers from filing lawsuits against employers, including mesothelioma from asbestos exposure on the job.

New Hampshire’s litigation landscape offers real paths to compensation for mesothelioma patients and their families. An experienced asbestos lawyer can help you understand your options and pursue the strongest possible claim.

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