More than 3,000 people a year in the U.S. are diagnosed with mesothelioma, a cancer of the pleural lining of the lungs or abdomen caused by exposure to asbestos. Unfortunately, it can take twenty years or more to diagnose as asbestos slowly damages the lungs. In this post, we'll discuss asbestos and what can happen when someone inhales asbestos.

Losing a loved one is always heartbreaking. When that loss could have been prevented, the grief is joined by a deep sense of injustice. In Louisiana, families who have lost someone to mesothelioma or another asbestos-related disease often discover too late that workplace exposure was to blame. At The Cheek Law Firm, we help families hold negligent companies accountable through wrongful death lawsuits.

We've all heard that asbestos exposure is “bad,” but do you know why? Asbestos is the main cause of pleural mesothelioma, an aggressive cancer of the lungs or abdominal cavity lining. The main risk factor for mesothelioma is exposure to asbestos, which is usually work-related. Asbestos exposure is the top work-related cause of death worldwide. More than 225,000 people globally will die from an asbestos-related disease each year, and more than a million U.S. workers are at risk of asbestos exposure at work.

While you may have heard about the dangers of asbestos, many people in Louisiana don't know what it is, how people are exposed, or what harm asbestos can cause. Asbestos is a mineral found in rocks and soil composed of soft, flexible, lightweight fibers. Because it is heat resistant, manufacturers incorporated asbestos into building materials, insulation, fire-retardant clothing, and even brake pad linings over the years. 

The Cheek Law Firm is proud to announce that the Louisiana Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals has affirmed a $2,750,000 wrongful death verdict for each daughter of David Stauder, a pipefitter and mesothelioma victim. Stauder v. Shell Oil Co., 2022-CA-0593 (La. App. 4 Cir. 06/03/2024). This decision marks a significant victory for the Stauder family and a critical affirmation of the jury's original award in a post-Pete landscape.

The Cheek Law Firm attorneys alongside Simmons Hanly Conroy attorneys represented 74-year-old Texas man diagnosed with mesothelioma cancer decades after unloading asbestos from ships at NOLA docks

If you're facing a mesothelioma diagnosis, you may wonder if you could have prevented this if you'd never smoked. We often think of cancer as just bad luck or something that only happens to you if you have unhealthy habits. But mesothelioma is not your fault, even if you're a smoker.