I'm raising money for a cause I care about, but I need your help to reach my goal! Please become a supporter to follow my progress and share with your friends.
Subscribe to follow campaign updates!
Asbestos was not always considered dangerous. In fact, many companies made a lot of money producing them because they were widely used as building materials for various sections of a building. However, once the health issues associated with it were discovered, these companies quickly went bankrupt.
Due to the many claims that were being filed and those that were being anticipated, the bankruptcy courts required that these companies filing for bankruptcy set aside a lump sum for current and future claims settlements. Thus was born Asbestos Trust Funds.
As of February 2025, an estimated sum of $30 billion was available to be claimed. You can learn more about this fund here.
If you’re wondering if making multiple claims is legal, it is and here’s why. Claims are often targeted at the specific company responsible for the product. In the case of asbestos, different companies can be responsible for the different asbestos-based products that a claimant is exposed to.
In such a case, the claimant can file claims against all the companies whose products were used in a specific project or across the different projects or sites that they worked on. Given this, claimants who were exposed as an occupational hazard top the list of people who are eligible to make multiple claims.
Occupational exposure means that they were often exposed to this harmful material as part of their jobs. Such workers will include construction workers, those who work in shipbuilding, automotive repairs, manufacturing etc.
If you fall into this category, then you may just be eligible to make multiple claims.
The benefit here should be pretty obvious. By making multiple claims instead of just one, you improve your chances of getting substantial compensation. No matter how solid your claim is, there is a limit to how much compensation you can get from a single Trust.
By filing this solid claim across all the Trusts that you are eligible to file a claim with, you can get multiple compensations. This obviously translates to a sum total that will be greater than what any single Trust would be able to give you.
Filing multiple claims requires a good understanding of the entire process. The first recommendation will be to get an attorney experienced in this field. You can check out any reputable mesothelioma law firm to put you through. With the expert guidance that they will provide, you increase your chances of having your claims approved.
With that caveat in place, let’s look at the important steps to making a valid claim:
When making a claim such as this, the burden of proof lies with you, the claimant. You therefore need to ensure that you have all the documents that will support your claim.
Some of the important documents that you will require include:
Now that you have your documentation ready, you need to know exactly where to make your claims. You cannot just make your claims any and everywhere. Carefully carry out extensive research to identify which trusts you qualify for.
Trust eligibility is often based around specific asbestos products. So, your employment history can help narrow down the products you were likely exposed to. With this, you can then determine which Trusts to apply to.
You can find the list of Asbestos Trust Funds currently in the United States here: https://staterecords.org/.
Once you have identified the Trust Funds that you qualify for, file your claim with each of them. It’s important that you find out their claims process as this may differ from Trust to Trust. So, follow each organization’s filing procedure and get your claims filed.
After filing your claim, you don’t should just go to bed, hoping that everything will work out fine. You should always check the status of your claim. In some cases, the Trust administrators may require some additional information or document to help process your claim.
With all of the above done, you now have to wait for the verdict. There are three possible outcomes:
Your goal is to get number 3. However, this is not always the case as some claims receive numbers 1 or 2 outcomes. Should this be the case, you have the option of refiling your claim or appealing the verdict.
If your claim is thrown out or you receive a compensation that you consider to be too low, this simply means that you didn’t convince the administrators that you deserve any compensation or more compensation.
In such a situation, you can appeal the verdict. You can also refile it if is rejected. In either case, you need to review the claim you submitted to identify areas that can be improved. If you are appealing, you will need to do so with additional evidence.
The same goes for refiling. If you simply refile with the same claim that was rejected, your chances of being rejected again will be high. You therefore need to make some adjustments to your claim to make it more convincing.
A simple way to avoid these errors or back and forth is to work with an experienced attorney who can get the claims right the first time. This will, not only save you time, but also increase your chances of getting substantial claims settlement.
Health conditions linked to asbestos poisoning has caused a lot of harm and even death to many. Thankfully they or their families have the opportunity to receive some compensation for this harm and loss. By following the steps that we’ve outline in this article, you can start the process towards getting your share of the compensation that has been set aside in these Asbestos Trust Funds.
Sign in with your Facebook account or email.