Find Out if You're Eligible for Compensation
Michigan has many deposits of naturally occurring asbestos. Most of these deposits are around towns such as:
- Marquette
- Negaunee
- Norway
- Niagara
- Iron Mountain
Jobs with Asbestos Exposure in Michigan
Michigan has a very large automobile industry. Asbestos has been known to be used in brakes and brake pads. Depending on how old these factories are, there also lies the risk of asbestos found in the building's insulation and pipes.
Asbestos manufacturers from some plants in Michigan dumped their asbestos waste in landfills and places where children played. This put the lives of each child in danger of asbestos exposure. If any child inhaled the fibers, they can eventually develop mesothelioma. Mesothelioma has a latency period of up to 50 years before showing any symptoms. The disease can also begin as asbestosis (scarring of the lungs) and start showing signs earlier.
Power plants are known for usage of asbestos to provide insulation for pipes. Asbestos is composed of small, thin fibers that are woven together to create products that are fireproof and heat resistant, providing ideal insulation for pipes that generate millions of megawatts of electrical energy 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Where You May Have Been Exposed to Asbestos in Michigan
Power Plants
- Palisades Nuclear
- Fermi 2 Nuclear
Shipyards
- Defoe Shipyard
Asbestos-Related Deaths In Michigan
Michigan is ranked 12th for the number of mesothelioma cases filed, and 38th for its mortality rate due to the asbestos-induced cancer. The high asbestos mortality rate may be due to the fact that Michigan is home to America's major motor manufacturers: Ford, General Motors and Chrysler.
Legal Resources for Michigan
As of 2006, the state of Michigan no longer combines asbestos-related cases. Instead, each asbestos-related case is tried separately. A few years before that, Michigan also created an “inactive asbestos docket” in which a trial is assured to the most ill plaintiffs before those who have yet to suffer any symptoms. Michigan's goal was to preserve the companies financially in order to avoid bankruptcy, as well as have the monies available to the plaintiffs with mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases.
Around 2002, Ford Motor, General Motors and Chrysler received thousands of asbestos-related lawsuits, with one jury awarding a $53 million verdict against the three companies and many brake manufacturers since those brakes contained asbestos.
Typically, the state of Michigan allows you three years to file a personal injury claim, and three years for a wrongful death. It usually entails that it is three years from the time of your initial diagnosis (personal injury) or from the date on the death certificate (wrongful death).
The statute of limitations in the state of Michigan for an asbestos case can be different from personal injury statutes. Even if your case has merit, missing the window of opportunity to file within the set statute of limitations can leave you unable to file your claim. It is advised that you contact us and let us help you determine if you have a potential case and to draft a time-line for your lawsuit of when your statutes are over.
