Settlement Trust Established for Personal Injury Claims

Cooper Industries, a manufacturer of electrical products, has agreed to pay a settlement of approximately $307 million. This settlement will help cover asbestos-related personal injury claims, and it resolves a July 2010 mesothelioma lawsuit filed by the Pneumo Abex company challenging a joint-venture between Cooper and manufacturer Danaher to fulfill personal injury claims.

Cooper will invest the $307 million in a trust with Pneumo Abex to help those who have filled asbestos-related claims. Additionally, Pneumo Abex will invest an additional $5 million into the trust. Cooper will also pay Pneumo Abex $15 million to continuing resolving any additional personal injury claims that are related to asbestos exposure. Asbestos exposure has been linked mesothelioma, and other health problems like asbestosis and lung cancer. Mesothelioma is a rare but deadly form of cancer of the protective lining of the lungs, heart, chest and abdomen. Symptoms of mesothelioma include pain in the chest, persistent coughing, and pain in the abdominal region and those affected are only given about six months to a year to live. Additionally, those affected may not become symptomatic for up to thirty years after initial exposure. It is estimated that between 2,000 and 3,000 mesothelioma diagnoses are given each year in the United States alone. About three percent of all cancer diagnoses make up mesothelioma.

Mesothelioma is more likely to occur in men than in women; the cancer occurs four times more frequently in men than in women. Except for benign mesothelioma, all forms of mesothelioma are terminal since there is no cure for the disease.

In recent years, there has been an increase in the number of settlements related to asbestos exposure because manufacturers of asbestos knew about its dangerous affects long before the general public was made aware.

Primarily used in construction during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, asbestos is a highly toxic material. When the fibers are inhaled or ingested, they can lodge themselves in human tissue, causing inflammation or infection. Pneumo Abex has been named in several lawsuits alleging asbestos-related negligence. Since mesothelioma patients only live an average of six months past diagnosis even when treatment is given, many patients and their families' choose to hire a mesothelioma lawyer.

Chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and surgery include treatment. Studies have shown that combining two or more of these treatment options can increase the patients' length and quality of life.

When the public became aware of the dangers of the mineral, warnings were issued in the mid-1970s and use of the product began to decline. More than 30 percent of those diagnosed are veterans.


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For more information about the dangerous effects of exposure to asbestos and for a free legal consultation, go to http://mesothelioma.legalview.com/ and to learn more about medical malpractice, visit http://medical-malpractice.legalview.info/.