South Carolina Mesothelioma Lawyers

How to Find and Choose a South Carolina Mesothelioma Lawyer

Look for attorneys licensed to practice in South Carolina with strong expertise in mesothelioma and asbestos claims. Choose a lawyer who understands South Carolina’s unique legal environment, including the Asbestos and Silica Claims Procedure Act, which sets strict filing requirements and medical proof standards.

Consult with several reputable firms to evaluate their experience handling South Carolina asbestos cases and their knowledge of local exposure sites. Choose a mesothelioma lawyer who clearly explains your legal options, offers compassionate support throughout the process and has a proven record of fair settlements and successful verdicts.

Local law firms, such as Meirowitz & Wasserberg, with their office in Columbia, are experts in handling South Carolina’s legal system. The firm reports it secured more than $5 million for a former South Carolina Singer Sewing worker with pleural mesothelioma. Working with their legal team ensures that your claim moves forward quickly, as they’re familiar with local judges and jury pools. This local expertise can make a big difference in securing the compensation you deserve.

Nationwide Asbestos Law Firms Helping Clients in South Carolina

Many South Carolina residents benefit from working with national law firms that have the resources and experience to handle cases involving exposure in other states or defendants headquartered elsewhere. An experienced attorney can help determine the appropriate jurisdiction for your specific claim based on where exposure occurred and where responsible companies are located.

Compensation From Asbestos Filings in South Carolina

South Carolina residents diagnosed with mesothelioma have secured substantial compensation through the courts. In September 2021, a jury issued a $32 million verdict in a secondary exposure case.

Notable South Carolina Settlements, Verdicts or Trust Fund Payouts

• $63.4 million: A South Carolina jury awarded $32.6 million in compensatory damages and about $30.7 million in punitive damages to Michael Perry in 2024. He developed mesothelioma after lifelong use of Johnson & Johnson’s talc baby powder. 
• $32 million: This 2021 trial verdict was awarded to the surviving family of Kathy Lynn Weist, who developed mesothelioma from secondary exposure. Weist’s husband, father and uncle worked in occupations known for asbestos exposure. Patient Advocates with The Mesothelioma Center connected Weist’s family with top mesothelioma law firm Meirowitz & Wasserberg, helping them get the compensation they deserved.
• $29 million: In 2023, a South Carolina jury ordered Whittaker, Clark & Daniels to pay damages to mesothelioma plaintiff Sarah Plant. Other defendants, including Mary Kay and Color Techniques, settled with Plant mid-trial. 
• $300,000: A South Carolina jury awarded Dale and Brenda Jolly $300,000 in 2017. They determined that Dale’s mesothelioma resulted from his exposure to asbestos joint compounds and wall textures while he worked as a pipe fitter and inspector at Duke Energy power plants from 1979 to 2003.

Most cases end in a mesothelioma settlement. Companies often choose to settle before a trial, which helps people receive compensation more quickly. Mesothelioma settlements and verdicts help families cover cancer treatment and lost wages.

How Does an Asbestos Lawyer Handle Your Claim in South Carolina

A skilled South Carolina asbestos attorney manages the legal process from start to finish, allowing you to concentrate on your treatment and health. Your lawyer will build your case, investigating your exposure history, collecting essential documentation and developing a legal approach tailored to South Carolina’s specific requirements.

Steps to a Mesothelioma Claim

1. Confirm diagnosis: Your attorney verifies your mesothelioma diagnosis, obtaining and examining medical documentation, including pathology results, treatment history and medical prognosis.
2. Investigate asbestos exposure and gather evidence: Your legal team traces when, where and how exposure occurred in South Carolina or other locations. This investigation covers your complete work history (positions held, workplace locations, employment dates), the asbestos-containing products involved and the companies responsible. The Charleston Naval Shipyard, for example, represents one of South Carolina’s most significant exposure sites.
3. File your claim within South Carolina’s statute of limitations: South Carolina allows 3 years from your diagnosis date to file a personal injury claim and 3 years from the date of death to file a wrongful death claim. Your attorney ensures your case is filed within these deadlines to protect your legal rights.
4. Negotiate with defendants and prepare for trial: Your attorneys work to negotiate a fair settlement with the responsible parties while simultaneously building a strong trial case. This dual approach ensures you’re positioned for success whether the case settles or goes to court.
5. Settlement disbursement process: Once a settlement is reached, your lawyer deposits the funds in a protected trust account, deducts agreed-upon legal fees and costs, resolves any medical liens or outstanding obligations and provides you with your compensation along with a complete accounting of all transactions.

Your attorney maintains regular communication throughout these stages, addressing concerns and explaining developments as they occur. The objective is obtaining mesothelioma compensation that addresses your medical costs, income loss and related damages while minimizing additional stress during a difficult time.

Asbestos Exposure in South Carolina

South Carolina residents primarily faced asbestos exposure at mining operations, construction sites, shipyards and power plants. Legacy asbestos products in older buildings, including military structures, industrial facilities, schools, public buildings and even homes, still pose a risk for potential asbestos exposure.

South Carolina has 8 natural deposits of asbestos located in the northwest region. Of these, 2 were once prospects for asbestos mining that didn’t materialize. However, several asbestos mines once operated along the state lines shared with Georgia and North Carolina.

Sites in South Carolina Known for Asbestos Exposure

• Charleston Naval Shipyard: This shipyard used asbestos insulation on pipes and in buildings. Workers handled many different asbestos products while building and repairing ships. 
• International Paper Georgetown Mill: Workers handled asbestos-containing materials used in mill machinery.
• Raybestos-Manhattan’s North Charleston facility: This facility manufactured asbestos-containing insulation, friction products and textiles. Machines in these mills also contained asbestos parts. Tests in the 1970s found asbestos at concentrations 16 times higher than today’s acceptable workplace maximum.
• Savannah River Site: This industrial complex in Aiken, South Carolina, was built in 1950 to produce nuclear weapons. Asbestos throughout the site helped prevent fires, but a 2008 study found former workers have a higher rate of pleural mesothelioma.
• Vermiculite mines and processing plants: Vermiculite is often asbestos-contaminated. Ore samples from 2 vermiculite mines in the Enoree and Patterson districts showed nearly 1% tremolite-actinolite asbestos. One remains in operation, and the miners are at risk of asbestos exposure. 
• Wateree Station power plant: Insulators and maintenance personnel worked with asbestos insulation on boilers, pipes and arc chutes. Asbestos exposure also occurred at Duke Energy power plants in South Carolina. 

Vermiculite mines contaminated with asbestos in South Carolina continue to pose a threat to miners and nearby residents. South Carolina is the largest producer of vermiculite in the nation. Workers at the still-operational vermiculite processing plants in Enoree continue to be at risk of asbestos exposure today. 

Four South Carolina companies also formerly processed vermiculite contaminated with asbestos shipped in from another state. The W.R. Grace facility in Traveler’s Rest, which was the largest vermiculite processing plant in the world, received most of it. Conditions at this facility were dangerous for employees. Workers didn’t receive respirators, and they breathed air that contained more than double the average concentration of asbestos within vermiculite mines. Nearby residents were also at risk of exposure.

Charleston Naval Shipyard

The Charleston Naval Shipyard operated for nearly a century, using asbestos extensively in shipbuilding and repairs from the 1930s to the 1980s. Asbestos served as insulation and fireproofing in ships’ boiler rooms, piping and machinery, exposing both civilian workers and Navy personnel to harmful asbestos dust. This exposure causes high rates of asbestos-related diseases, including mesothelioma and lung cancer, among those who work at the shipyard.

The shipyard’s legacy of asbestos exposure continues to impact former workers and veterans, with Charleston County experiencing above-average asbestos-related mortality rates. Although the shipyard closed in 1996, dangers persist because asbestos materials remain in older ships and buildings, highlighting the long-term health hazards its workforce faces. Many affected individuals pursue legal claims seeking compensation for asbestos-related illnesses linked to the Charleston Naval Shipyard.

Occupational Asbestos Exposure in South Carolina 

South Carolina workers encountered occupational exposure at mines, mills and manufacturing plants. Vermiculite miners experienced asbestos exposure at 2 sites located in the northwest part of the state. Patterson Vermiculite Company and Dicalite Management Group own the mines. 

Shipyards in Charleston, like the Charleston Naval Shipyard, heavily used asbestos. Military personnel at bases, such as the Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, also faced exposure. Family members of these workers faced secondhand asbestos exposure when asbestos dust came home on their clothing.

Higher-Risk Jobs in South Carolina

• Construction workers 
• Farmers
• Industrial mechanics 
• Insulators 
• Maintenance workers 
• Manufacturing plant workers
• Military personnel
• Miners
• Paper mill workers 
• Power plant workers
• Shipyard workers
• Vermiculite processing plant workers

Some companies that supplied asbestos products to South Carolina industries include Turner & Newall and Bell Asbestos Mines. Legal help is available for residents who develop illnesses from asbestos exposure. South Carolina asbestos lawyers can assist with filing claims against these companies. 

How Your Lawyer Supports You in South Carolina’s Changing Asbestos Litigation

South Carolina remains one of the nation’s most active states for asbestos litigation, with filings surging notably since 2019. Your lawyer stays fully informed about recent court rulings, evolving procedural rules and regulatory changes, adjusting legal strategies to optimize your claim. The state’s unique asbestos docket centralizes all claims under a single judge, resulting in streamlined case management but also a complex legal environment requiring expert navigation.

South Carolina Legislative Changes

• Asbestos and Silica Claims Procedure Act of 2006: This established specific rules for managing asbestos and silica litigation statewide. Its main goal is to efficiently prioritize cases where claimants have demonstrable physical impairment from asbestos or silica exposure, while preserving the rights of those exposed but not yet impaired until they develop a diagnosable condition. The act requires claimants to submit a detailed medical report from a board-certified physician proving the diagnosis of an asbestos-related disease, such as mesothelioma.
• Expansion of “cumulative dose” causation theory: The Supreme Court affirmed South Carolina appellate court decisions in 2024, which endorsed a “cumulative dose” theory of causation. This theory allows a plaintiff’s expert to testify that every asbestos exposure contributes to the disease, making it easier to establish causation against multiple defendants, even with minimal exposure evidence.
• Landmark 2021 South Carolina Supreme Court decision: Keene v. CNA Holdings, LLC, weakened the state’s “Statutory Employee” Doctrine. The change makes it easier for contract workers to sue property owners and general contractors in tort for workplace injuries, including those related to asbestos exposure, rather than being limited to workers’ compensation claims.

Additionally, South Carolina courts often appoint receiverships to manage assets of defendants that dissolved decades ago, which your lawyer knows how to engage with effectively. This approach has increased compensation possibilities through hidden insurance assets tied to long-gone companies. Your legal team leverages these avenues while minimizing your stress, working tirelessly to secure compensation that covers medical costs, lost wages and other damages.

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