Alton, IL 62002
- $8.9 Billion Recovered
- Serves Clients Nationwide
- Rated a Tier 1 Law Firm in 2022 by U.S. News & World Report
Illinois Mesothelioma Lawyers
Table Of Contents
Illinois has had a significant impact on asbestos litigation nationwide. Madison County ranks No. 1 in the nation for mesothelioma filings, and Illinois mesothelioma lawyers have secured some of the largest verdicts in the country.
Written by Joe Lahav, Esq. | Legally Reviewed by Samuel Meirowitz | Edited by Amy Edel | Last Update: March 2, 2026
Logan County Courthouse in Illinois.
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Starr G. - Daughter of a Mesothelioma Patient
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Kerry G. - Daughter of a Mesothelioma Patient
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Brittany G. - Daughter of a Mesothelioma Patient
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Cindy R. - Daughter of a Mesothelioma Patient
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Patrick K. - Son of a Mesothelioma Patient
How to Find and Choose an Illinois Mesothelioma Lawyer
Choosing a lawyer with deep Illinois experience matters more here than in most states. Madison and St. Clair counties report the highest asbestos case filings in the U.S., and Illinois courts have specific procedures and evidence standards that directly affect case outcomes.
Each year, hundreds of families in Illinois seek legal help with mesothelioma lawsuits, pursuing financial assistance for medical bills and lost income. Illinois ranks 7th nationally for mesothelioma and asbestosis deaths, according to CDC data. With unique procedures for case management and a history of large settlements, working with an experienced Illinois mesothelioma lawyer gives mesothelioma survivors and their families the best chance of success.
Illinois Jurisdiction Spotlight
- Madison County is the No. 1 jurisdiction in the nation for mesothelioma filings in 2024, according to KCIC’s 2025 report.
- More than 50% of all U.S. asbestos lawsuits were filed in Illinois courts from 2018 to 2022.
- St. Clair County is the nation’s No. 1 jurisdiction for asbestos-related lung cancer and talc case filings.
- The largest settlement in Illinois history was $200 million, which Cooney & Conway secured in a consolidated asbestos case.
Choosing a law firm with extensive Illinois experience means your lawyers understand the unique statutes, deadlines and local trends that shape asbestos claims. Local law firms such as Simmons Hanly Conroy, Cooney & Conway and Meirowitz & Wasserberg are known for securing multimillion-dollar verdicts and settlements. Simmons Hanly Conroy, for example, has secured more than $11 billion in asbestos verdicts and settlements for clients nationwide.
Illinois asbestos attorneys investigate exposure sites, such as factories, military bases and refineries, building strong cases against responsible companies. Illinois residents benefit from homegrown firms that treat every client with personal attention and know how to pursue maximum compensation.
Alton, IL 62002
Chicago, IL 60603
- $50 Million Recovered
- Serves Clients Nationwide
- Rated in the Top 10 Asbestos and Mesothelioma Trial Lawyers
Chicago, IL 60602
- $7 Billion Recovered
- Serves Clients Nationwide
- Rated a National Tier 1 Firm by U.S. News & World Report in 2022
Nationwide Asbestos Law Firms Helping Clients in Illinois
Many nationwide asbestos law firms provide convenient local support to Illinois residents, visiting clients at home. They match this convenience with the power of leveraging national resources to fight large asbestos corporations for you.
For example, Weitz & Luxenberg, which U.S. News & World Report named a Tier 1 law firm in 2022, has recovered billions of dollars in asbestos compensation nationwide. Their Illinois clients have benefited from aggressive litigation strategies and personalized case management.
National firms work closely with local attorneys to investigate exposure sites, identify liable companies and pursue maximum compensation. In addition to litigation, they assist with asbestos trust fund claims when companies have declared bankruptcy, ensuring clients can access all available sources of financial assistance.
- $8.5 Billion Recovered
- Serves Clients Nationwide
- Rated #1 by U.S. News & World Report for 2022
Illinois Mesothelioma Settlement and Verdict Amounts
Illinois residents with asbestos-related diseases have received compensation through mesothelioma lawsuits, verdicts and trust fund claims. Settlements for mesothelioma cases typically range from $1 million to $2 million, with trial verdicts often significantly higher. Some cases have resulted in multi-million dollar awards, helping families cover medical costs and lost income.
Patients and families may be eligible to file. A patient can file a personal injury claim; if the patient has passed away, a spouse, child or estate representative can file a wrongful death claim instead, with its own 2-year deadline running from the date of death. In either case, there are no out-of-pocket costs to get started. Attorneys work on contingency and collect a fee only if you receive compensation. The verdicts and settlements below show what Illinois families have recovered.
Notable Illinois Settlements, Verdicts and Trust Fund Payouts
- $200 Million: Cooney & Conway secured this amount, which is the largest consolidated asbestos case settlement in Illinois history.
- $40.75 Million: An Illinois jury awarded these damages in 2023 to mesothelioma patient Bruce Torgerson. He was exposed to asbestos in John Crane-manufactured gaskets and packing while working as a pump man.
- $30 Million: A Cook County Circuit Court jury ordered Bridgestone Firestone Tires to pay these damages to Thomas Jackson’s spouse in 2023. Jackson died of mesothelioma from asbestos-contaminated talc his father brought home on his clothes while working at the company’s Decatur facility.
- $23 Million: A Cook County jury ordered Qualitex Co. to pay these damages in 2021 to Cynthia Cowger, who developed pleural mesothelioma from exposure to Qualitex’s asbestos-containing press pads while working at a dry-cleaning company.
- $16 Million: A Madison County Circuit Court jury ordered Armstrong Contracting and Supply Company in 2021 to pay these damages to James Crawford and his wife. Crawford developed mesothelioma after exposure to the company’s asbestos-containing insulation products at an Owens-Illinois glass plant.
Compensation amounts for mesothelioma vary depending on disease severity, exposure history and the number of defendants involved. Most people obtain settlements without going to trial, and trust fund claims offer additional opportunities for financial recovery. Experienced Illinois mesothelioma attorneys help maximize each client’s compensation, pursuing all available legal avenues and trust claims.
$30B+ IN TRUST FUNDS AVAILABLE
Find a Mesothelioma Attorney in Illinois
Get help finding an attorney who knows the process and can get you and your family the compensation you deserve.
Get Help NowHow Does an Asbestos Lawyer Handle Your Claim in Illinois?
When you hire an asbestos lawyer in Illinois, they manage every step of the legal process on your behalf. Illinois mesothelioma attorneys understand the state’s specific filing procedures, evidence standards and recent legal changes that can expand your options for compensation.
Steps to a Mesothelioma Claim
- Personal consultation: A mesothelioma lawyer will meet with you personally for an initial consultation. This provides an opportunity to get to know them and their communication style, and to gauge how comfortable you’ll feel working with them.
- Explore your asbestos exposure history: Your legal team investigates Illinois asbestos sites like the Johns Manville Superfund Site in Waukegan, Chanute Air Force Base in Rantoul, and A.E. Staley Manufacturing in Decatur. They connect these locations to your job records and service history to support your case.
- Complete claim filing: Illinois has a 2-year statute of limitations for mesothelioma claims. For personal injury cases, the clock starts at the date of diagnosis. For wrongful death cases, it starts at the date of death. Missing this deadline ends your right to compensation, which is why timely filing is the most time-sensitive step in the process.
- Discovery phase: Collecting testimony and expert opinions. Illinois courts require proof of repeated exposure to specific asbestos-containing products.
- Settlement talks or trial: Seeking a fair payout without trial, but representing you in court if your case proceeds without a settlement agreement.
Experienced asbestos Illinois lawyers manage these steps to reduce your stress while maximizing your recovery. Your attorney may investigate additional exposure sites like Kentile Floors in Chicago, power plants such as Zion Nuclear Power Station, the 30 vermiculite processing locations across Illinois that received asbestos-contaminated material from Libby, Montana, and oil refineries that companies like Amoco, CITGO or Shell operated. They’ll communicate throughout each step, helping you and your family make informed decisions about your case.
“My Illinois-based lawyers didn’t do it by phone. They came and saw me and talked to me personally. They understood me and how involved I was with my job in the Navy.”
Asbestos Exposure in Illinois
About 97 new cases of mesothelioma were reported in Illinois in 2022, which is the most recent data available from the CDC. The state ranks No. 7 in the U.S. for mesothelioma deaths because of its extensive industrial history in cities such as Chicago, Peoria and Alton.
Sites in Illinois Known for Asbestos Exposure
- A.E. Staley Manufacturing Company’s facility: The local union requested an evaluation of asbestos hazards at Workers at the facility in Decatur, Illinois in 1989. The Health and Hazard Evaluation report found excess cases of related diseases.
- Chanute Air Force Base: Veterans were exposed at this base in Rantoul, Illinois. An asbestos removal project abated the mineral from 17 facilities on the base in 2015.
- Illinois Beach State Park: Johns Manville’s Superfund Site in Waukegan, Illinois, is 150 acres with approximately 3 million cubic yards of wastewater sludge containing asbestos and other toxins. Lake Michigan and Illinois Beach State Park border the site.
- Power plants: Exposure occurred at Zion Nuclear Power Station, Powerton Powerhouse, Dresden Generating Station and Quad Cities Station. Power generation plants used asbestos primarily for its insulating capabilities.
- Schools: Many of Illinois’s schools and administrative buildings were constructed with asbestos. Disease risk depends on when the asbestos was discovered and how each facility handled the problem.
- Vermiculite Processing: Illinois is also home to 30 locations that received at least 372,776 tons of asbestos-contaminated vermiculite from Libby, Montana. Chicago, Girard, Peoria, Quincy, Buda and Calumet City had processing sites. The soil around these facilities has tested positive for asbestos.
Shipbuilding, manufacturing and construction in Illinois heavily used asbestos. Military bases also used a lot of asbestos products. Asbestos exposure in Illinois also occurred during insulation installation, oil refining, farming, food production and power generation.
Exposure today often occurs because of legacy asbestos in old buildings. The Chicago Nuclear Powerhouse, Illinois Central Railroad in Peoria and Kentile Floors plant in Chicago were all known asbestos exposure sites in the state.
Johns Manville Facility in Waukegan
One of the most notorious asbestos exposure sites in Illinois is the Johns Manville facility in Waukegan. Spanning approximately 150 acres, this site operated as a disposal location for asbestos-contaminated waste and produced asbestos products for several decades. It’s now classified as a major Environmental Protection Agency Superfund Site because of its extensive contamination.
Asbestos fibers from the site spread into the surrounding environment, including Lake Michigan, and contamination persists in nearby residential areas and public parks despite ongoing cleanup efforts. Workers at the facility, as well as residents who lived near the site, may have grounds for a mesothelioma claim.
Expert Take
Kevin Paul: Crucial Evidence for Mesothelioma Cases
The type of evidence that builds the strongest case is the client’s deposition. There’s no better way to tell the story of how you’re exposed to asbestos than telling it yourself.
Now, if somebody is not able to tell their story and they’re too sick, You can tell it through individuals that worked with That’s number one.
Once you get the client’s exposure story from the client, then you can go after the individual defendants and do the standard discovery and all the other stuff that we do.
But it all starts at the deposition.
Now, if somebody is not able to tell their story and they’re too sick, You can tell it through individuals that worked with That’s number one.
Once you get the client’s exposure story from the client, then you can go after the individual defendants and do the standard discovery and all the other stuff that we do.
But it all starts at the deposition.
Occupational Asbestos Exposure in Illinois
Higher-risk asbestos industries in Illinois include manufacturing, power generation and oil refining. Illinois workers were exposed in factories, plants, refineries, farmhouses, schools and public buildings. Secondhand exposure among family members happened when workers brought fibers home.
Jobs With Higher Risks of Asbestos Exposure
- Factory workers
- Farmworkers
- Manufacturing workers
- Military veterans
- Oil refinery workers
- Power generation workers
- Railway workers
- Teachers
Exposure type and the evidence a lawyer needs vary by the type of job performed. Oil refinery workers at Amoco, CITGO, Mobil, Shell and Standard handled asbestos-insulated pipes, boilers and valves. Employer records, work dates and union membership are the key starting documents. Veterans exposed at Chanute Air Force Base or other Illinois installations may qualify for both VA benefits and a separate legal claim; a DD-214 and duty station history establish the exposure. Teachers, custodians and maintenance workers in pre-1980 Illinois schools and public buildings encountered asbestos in ceiling tiles, floor tiles and pipe insulation, with employment records and any district inspection reports as supporting evidence.
Other companies frequently named as defendants in Illinois mesothelioma cases include Johns Manville, Owens Corning, Armstrong World Industries and U.S. Steel, many of which have since established asbestos bankruptcy trust funds. If you worked in one of these industries or at a specific Illinois site and were later diagnosed with mesothelioma, an Illinois mesothelioma lawyer can investigate your exposure history, identify every liable party and pursue compensation through a lawsuit, trust fund claim or both. Most consultations are free and there are no out-of-pocket costs to file a claim.
Continued Learning
Asbestos Manufacturers
Recent Illinois Asbestos Law Changes That Affect Your Mesothelioma Claim
Asbestos litigation in Illinois has shifted significantly in recent years, and some of those changes work in patients’ favor. Two developments in particular have expanded who can file and where, which means some Illinois patients who previously had limited options may now have a viable path to compensation.
Illinois Legislative Changes
- Asbestos abatement regulations: The Illinois EPA is pushing for stricter rules to address asbestos hazards, including high-profile cleanup actions. This can affect legal cases, reinforcing public awareness and regulatory compliance.
- Illinois Senate Bill 328: Expands personal jurisdiction statewide to include out-of-state corporations registered to do business in the state. Now, plaintiffs can sue foreign corporations in Illinois courts for toxic exposure outside the state.
- Illinois Supreme Court ruling in Martin v. Goodrich Corp.: On Jan. 24, 2025, the Illinois Supreme Court upheld the 2019 Workers’ Occupational Diseases Act legislative amendment. The ruling allows employees to sue employers for occupational diseases like mesothelioma, even if the disease develops more than 25 years after the initial exposure.
Your Illinois lawyer ensures deadlines are met, evidence is meticulously gathered and appropriate jurisdictions are chosen for your case. This expert guidance enhances your chances for a favorable claim resolution amid an aggressive litigation environment.
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