People have been exposed to asbestos in Massachusetts at Navy yards, factories and former mines. Those who became ill as a result can file a legal claim for compensation. An experienced Massachusetts asbestos attorney can help people navigate the legal process.
Finding and Choosing a Massachusetts Mesothelioma Lawyer
Finding the right mesothelioma lawyer in Massachusetts starts with looking for firms that specialize in asbestos cases and have a proven track record in the state. Massachusetts ranks No. 13 nationally for mesothelioma cases and No. 11 for mesothelioma deaths according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, making it essential to work with attorneys who understand how local courts handle these claims.
For people with mesothelioma, working with an experienced Massachusetts mesothelioma attorney is crucial. These lawyers know the state’s asbestos laws and understand how local courts and juries handle cases in counties like Suffolk, Middlesex and Essex. Choose an attorney who offers free consultations, works on contingency and can demonstrate successful outcomes in cases similar to yours.
Local mesothelioma lawyers bring valuable knowledge about job sites and industries where asbestos exposure occurred in Massachusetts. They can build strong claims based on this knowledge, which increases the chances of securing financial help. Law firms such as Simmons Hanly Conroy have an office in Chestnut Hill and have won millions in compensation for local clients. For example, Simmons Hanly Conroy helped a U.S. Navy veteran in Marshfield receive a mesothelioma settlement of $4 million.
Rated a Tier 1 Law Firm in 2022 by U.S. News & World Report
Nationwide Asbestos Law Firms Helping Clients in Massachusetts
Several national asbestos law firms serve people in Massachusetts, bringing powerful resources to help families coping with mesothelioma. These firms have decades of experience handling asbestos claims nationwide, including in Massachusetts. They offer access to expert investigators, medical professionals and a vast network of legal experts to build strong cases.
Firms like Weitz & Luxenberg and Nemeroff Law Firm have helped thousands of families across the country and secured millions in compensation for Massachusetts residents. These firms travel to clients at no cost, providing personalized support whether you live in Boston, Salem or farther away.
Compensation From Asbestos Filings in Massachusetts
Massachusetts plaintiffs have received millions of dollars in mesothelioma compensation from verdicts and settlements. Your Massachusetts asbestos attorney can help you secure financial assistance from legal action to cover medical bills, lost wages and other diagnosis-related expenses.
Notable Massachusetts Settlements, Verdicts or Trust Funds
$39 Million: In 2024, a Boston jury awarded this verdict to Bryce Zundel’s family over asbestos-contaminated talc used in a medical procedure. He underwent his procedure in 2014 and was diagnosed with mesothelioma in 2021.
$14.4 Million: The Boston Superior Court awarded this amount in 2017 to the families of two workers who became ill because of asbestos insulation projects. The court found New England Insulation guilty of negligence.
$9.3 Million: Katherine Lydon was awarded this trial verdict in a wrongful death suit against T&N, formerly Turner & Newell, in 2014. Her husband John was a construction supervisor. He’d worked with an asbestos insulation spray for years and developed mesothelioma.
Every mesothelioma case is different. Mesothelioma settlements can range from $1 million to $2 million. Mesothelioma verdicts usually average more, as much as $20.7 million in 2024 according to Mealey’s. Several factors can affect your verdict or settlement amount. Talk to your attorney about any important factors that could affect your claim.
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Find a Mesothelioma Attorney in Massachusetts
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How Does an Asbestos Lawyer Handle Your Claim in Massachusetts
Your Massachusetts mesothelioma attorney evaluates all potential sources of exposure, including secondary exposure from family members who brought asbestos fibers home from shipyards, textile mills or manufacturing sites. Massachusetts holds companies responsible for this type of take-home exposure, expanding your options for compensation.
Steps to a Mesothelioma Claim
Initial consultation: Your lawyer meets with you to discuss your diagnosis and work history in Massachusetts. This conversation establishes the foundation of your case and helps you understand the legal process ahead.
Investigate exposure history: Your legal team examines Massachusetts asbestos exposure sites such as Fore River Shipyard in Quincy, Boston Naval Shipyard, Charlestown Navy Yard, and the Blackburn & Union Privileges Superfund Site. They connect these locations to your diagnosis.
Filing your claim: Your lawyer files your claim in the appropriate Massachusetts court and gathers evidence including employment records, medical documentation and company asbestos use histories.
Discovery phase: Both sides exchange information and conduct depositions. Your lawyer gathers employment records from shipyards, textile mills, power plants or automotive manufacturing facilities, along with medical documentation and company records showing asbestos use.
Settlement negotiations or trial: Most claims settle during negotiations, but your lawyer prepares for trial if companies offer too little. Your attorney fights for maximum compensation to cover your medical bills and lost income.
Massachusetts’s legacy of shipbuilding and textile manufacturing created widespread exposure across multiple industries. Your mesothelioma attorney investigates both workplace exposure and take-home contamination to identify all responsible parties.
They stay informed about the state’s active enforcement of asbestos regulations. This ensures your case strategy reflects Massachusetts’s current legal environment, including recent enforcement actions and regulatory changes that may affect your claim.
Asbestos Exposure in Massachusetts
Asbestos has a long history in Massachusetts. Residents were exposed to asbestos in textile mills, power plants and auto parts factories. The state’s shipbuilding industry also led to asbestos exposure, which caused many shipyard workers to become ill.
Sites in Massachusetts Known for Asbestos Exposure
Blackburn & Union Privileges Superfund Site:W.R. Grace manufactured asbestos automotive parts here, and other companies also contaminated the site over the years. The US Environmental Protection Agency, Interior and the State Attorney General’s office and the Department of Justice obtained more than $14 million in 2 separate settlements for cleanup.
Boston Naval Shipyard: One of the country’s most vital shipbuilding facilities, the shipyard employed nearly 50,000 workers to build U.S. Navy ships to serve in World War II.
Charlestown Navy Yard: Considered a significant source of asbestos exposure, the yard used asbestos for its fireproofing and insulating properties.
Pilgrim Nuclear Power Plant: In 2024, the state sued the owner of the shuttered facility in Plymouth for violations concerning the handling, shipping, storing and disposal of asbestos-containing materials.
Veterans were also exposed to asbestos in the state, including those who worked in the Navy, on Air Force bases and at the Edith Nourse Rogers Memorial Veterans Hospital in Bedford. Management at the VA hospital was aware of asbestos contamination at the facility for years, but nothing was done to correct the problem, putting veterans and employees at risk.
Asbestos mines once operated in Berkshire County, Salem and Pelham. Older buildings are also a potential source of asbestos exposure from remaining legacy asbestos. Many were constructed with asbestos products and building materials. Schools built before the 1980s likely contain legacy asbestos.
Pleural mesothelioma survivor Joey Barna was diagnosed in 2018. He had worked in the HVAC industry and other jobs where he encountered asbestos.
“In 1981, I graduated and got a job at Northeast Sheet Metal in Lawrence, Massachusetts, and at that time during the ‘80s, they were renovating a lot of old mills into condominiums…there were just a lot of old buildings that I worked in. I also worked on old boilers, which were encased in asbestos. At that time, asbestos was considered a state-of-the-art insulator. It was fireproof.”
Joey Barna, mesothelioma survivor
Fore River Shipyard
The Fore River Shipyard in Quincy, Massachusetts, was one of the largest and most active shipbuilding facilities in the U.S. from its founding in 1883 until its closure in 1986. During its peak years, it employed tens of thousands of workers and produced hundreds of vessels for the U.S. Navy and commercial clients. Like most shipyards, Fore River relied heavily on asbestos for its heat-resistant and fireproof properties.
Asbestos was used extensively in boilers, turbines, pipes, gaskets, insulation and other ship components. From the 1930s through the early 1980s, civilian and military workers alike faced daily asbestos exposure without adequate protection. Many former shipyard workers and Navy veterans later developed mesothelioma and asbestos lung cancer decades after exposure. Today, the site is home to the U.S. Naval Shipbuilding Museum and stands as a reminder of the history of asbestos use and its impact on public health.
Expert Take
Kevin Paul: Importance of Hiring a Mesothelioma Law Specialist
The duration of the case from start to finish, it it it it varies Is The Ferraro firm is a national law firm. I’m a national lawyer. I practice in over twenty states over the time that I’ve been a lawyer. From start to finish, I would say A year.
Now that’s a lawyer that’s getting the case and doing everything properly.
From my perspective, it’s an absolute travesty when you see the results that those clients get from those lawyers.
You know when you’re working with our firm, you’re getting the utmost respect from not only the defense lawyers, the defense corporations, the experts in the litigation, and also the insurance companies that are behind all that. They know when I show up for Ferraro, they tell their lawyers to be prepared for us.
The name alone, along with the lawyers that work for it, drive the values of our cases up and make us stand eons and eons away from just another firm that’s gonna take a case in, turn it in, turn it out, and move on to the next. You’re not gonna get that with Ferraro. You’re gonna get an up close personal friend relationship that lasts after the case is is completed.
Occupational Asbestos Exposure in Massachusetts
Commercial and industrial job sites in Massachusetts used asbestos products to prevent fires, control heat and limit chemical corrosion. Workers who handled or made these products are at risk of developing related diseases much later in life. Certain occupations are considered higher-risk for asbestos exposure.
Higher-Risk Jobs in Massachusetts
Asbestos product manufacturing
Automotive manufacturing
Chemical production
Construction
General manufacturing
Insulation installation
Power generation
Shipbuilding
Textile mills
Massachusetts will hold companies responsible for secondhand asbestos exposure. Sometimes referred to as “take-home duty,” secondhand exposure can happen when a person who works with asbestos carries home toxic fibers on their clothing, skin or hair. Like primary exposure, secondary exposure can also cause mesothelioma or other asbestos-related diseases.
How Your Lawyer Supports You in Massachusetts’s Changing Asbestos Litigation
Massachusetts asbestos laws and litigation continue to evolve, creating new challenges and opportunities for mesothelioma claims. Experienced lawyers track legislative changes that could affect deadlines or evidence standards. For example, they stay informed about recent environmental enforcement actions and stricter regulations on asbestos abatement companies in Massachusetts to protect clients’ rights.
For example, House Bill 1746 aims to reform the state’s statute of repose to better accommodate asbestos-related claims. Massachusetts has a strict 6-year statute of repose. It bars tort claims related to deficiencies in construction projects 6 years after completion or occupancy, even when the injury, such as mesothelioma, develops decades later.
Lawyers also evaluate the strongest jurisdiction to file your claim, considering local court tendencies and potential jury pools. This strategy ensures your case gets the best chance of success, especially in a state with complex asbestos rules and ongoing regulatory changes. Legal teams work to keep your evidence and filings meeting all state requirements.
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Lahav, J. (2026, March 5). Massachusetts Mesothelioma Lawyers. Asbestos.com. Retrieved March 17, 2026, from https://www.asbestos.com/mesothelioma-lawyer/massachusetts/
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William A. Davis is an attorney specializing in complex commercial litigation, with an emphasis in health care disputes, at a firm he founded in Washington, D.C. He also serves as senior counsel at The Peterson Firm.
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Joey Barna , mesothelioma survivor
