Many Georgia industries once used asbestos at job sites, prompting workers and their families to seek the assistance of an experienced Georgia mesothelioma lawyer. People who worked around asbestos are at risk of developing malignant mesothelioma and other asbestos-related illnesses.

If you or a loved one have been diagnosed with mesothelioma, asbestos-related lung cancer, or asbestosis, you may be entitled to substantial compensation. We invite you to fill out our form today for a free Financial Compensation Packet, filled with information about experienced mesothelioma lawyers in Georgia, how to get paid in 90 days, how to file an asbestos trust fund claim, and much more. 

We offer assistance to all asbestos victims and their families in Georgia, including cities such as:

Atlanta, Augusta, Columbus, Macon, Savannah, Athens, Sandy Springs, Roswell, Johns Creek, Albany, Warner Robins, Alpharetta, Marietta, Valdosta, Smyrna, Dunwoody, Rome, East Point, Milton, Gainesville, Hinesville, Peachtree City, Newnan, Dalton, Douglasville, Kennesaw, LaGrange, Statesboro, Lawrenceville, Duluth, Stockbridge, Woodstock, Carrollton, Canton, Griffin, McDonough, Acworth, Pooler, Union City, Decatur, Cartersville, Sugar Hill, Milledgeville, Snellville, Forest Park, Thomasville, St. Marys Tifton, Americus, Kingsland, Suwanee, Dublin, Fayetteville, Calhoun, Chamblee, Brunswick, Norcross, Riverdale, Conyers, Perry, College Park, Moultrie, Waycross, Winder, Powder Springs, Villa Rica, Fairburn, Monroe, Covington, Cusseta, Buford, Bainbridge, Lilburn, Grovetown, Dallas, Douglas, Cordele, Loganville, Vidalia, Richmond Hill, Jesup, Cairo, Cedartown, Fort Valley, Holly Springs, Jefferson, Fort Oglethorpe, Rincon, Thomaston, Fitzgerald, Garden City, Doraville, Toccoa, Braselton, Clarkston, Swainsboro, Centerville, Hampton, LaFayette, Auburn, and more.

When Do I Need a Georgia Mesothelioma Lawyer?

If you or a family member suffered asbestos exposure and received a diagnosis of asbestos-related illness, contact a mesothelioma lawyer for advice. Even if you only suspect exposure occurred, talk to a lawyer.

An expert in asbestos and personal injury laws can help you:

• Understand your legal options
• Make the best choice for getting justice or compensation
• Get the most compensation possible
• Face big companies responsible for your exposure
• File a lawsuit or make a claim with an asbestos trust fund
• File for VA benefits if you served in the military

Victims like you sue for mesothelioma to recover damages. Mesothelioma is an expensive illness that could and should have been prevented. A lawyer helps you hold companies accountable and makes them pay.

How to File a Mesothelioma Claim in Georgia

A top Georgia mesothelioma lawyer will help determine the type of claim to file. They file for you and take all the steps necessary to give you the best chance of winning compensation. Options include:

Mesothelioma Personal Injury Lawsuit

Mesothelioma is considered a personal injury because it results from negligent asbestos exposure. To file and win a lawsuit, you need to prove that asbestos caused your illness and that specific defendants are liable for that exposure.

Finding evidence and proving a mesothelioma lawsuit is complicated. This is why you must rely on a lawyer or firm with extensive resources and experience working on and winning asbestos cases.

Asbestos Trust Fund Claim

If the companies that exposed you to asbestos went bankrupt, you cannot sue them. Instead, you can file a claim for compensation with an asbestos trust fund. Asbestos trusts have more than $30 billion in funds for claimants.

Your lawyer can determine which companies exposed you to asbestos. They can then decide which trusts you are eligible to make a claim with.

Mesothelioma Wrongful Death Lawsuit

If you lost a loved one to mesothelioma, you can file a lawsuit over their wrongful death. The companies responsible for their asbestos exposure can be held liable for monetary damages, just as in a personal injury case.

Where Was I Exposed to Asbestos in Georgia?

If you have mesothelioma now, you were most likely exposed to asbestos decades ago. Most people were exposed to asbestos at their jobs. Many industries used asbestos for years without warning workers of the risks.

An experienced asbestos attorney in Georgia has the resources and expertise necessary to determine where and when you came into contact with asbestos.

These are just a few examples of companies and industries in Georgia that exposed workers to asbestos:

Asbestos Mines

Georgia contains 52 natural asbestos deposits, more than any other state in the eastern U.S. and primarily in the mountains in the north. Georgia was also home to the first asbestos mine in the country.

Georgia would continue mining asbestos at several sites from the late 1800s through the early 1900s. The mines supplied numerous industries and put miners at risk of exposure.

The former asbestos mines pose much less of a threat today but can still harm residents. If natural asbestos is disturbed, for instance, by construction or road projects, the fibers can enter the air, soil, and water. This can harm anyone living in the area.

Georgia-Pacific

Georgia-Pacific, one of the state’s biggest companies, is well-known for using asbestos-containing materials (ACMs) in many products. Employees handled these materials daily. Additionally, Georgia-Pacific bought out the Bestwall Gypsum Corporation during the 1960s’, which used asbestos.

According to the Georgia-Pacific newsroom, in 2000, 232,000 asbestos-related cases have been filed against the company since the mid-1980s.

Although the company claimed it did not anticipate any other lawsuits in the same news statement, it put aside an additional $221 million in 2002 for asbestos-related lawsuits. In 2002, the company had more than 62,000 pending asbestos lawsuits.

The Keebler Company

Many manufacturing plants also used asbestos. In 1989, the Keebler Company in Atlanta was responsible for exposing thousands of workers to asbestos fibers after the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) determined that an oven in one of the company’s plants was releasing the harmful fibers into the air.

Military Sites and Government Buildings

Georgia is home to 13 military bases and several Federal buildings. These military and federal workplaces have been found to contain asbestos.

Veterans have some of the highest rates of mesothelioma in the U.S. The military used asbestos extensively in buildings, vehicles, and machinery.

U.S. Navy veterans were most affected by asbestos use in the military. Ships contained asbestos in nearly every component for decades.

Other Job Sites Associated with Asbestos in Georgia

• Charmin Paper Products Company
• Coats & Clark, Inc.
• Cobb Heating & Air Conditioning
• Coil Insulation Company
• Firestone Tire and Rubber Company
• Georgia Alabama Power Company
• Georgia Growers Distilling Company
• Georgia Power Company
• Herck & Company
• J.P. Stevens and Company
• Lykes Brothers Inc
• Merck & Company, Inc.
• Merck Chemical Div
• Miller Brewing Company, Inc
• Georgia Plywood Corporation
• J. P. Stevens & Company
• Mohasco Industries Inc.
• Southeast Paper Manufacturing Company
• Brumby Chair Company
• Dobbins Air Force Base
• Georgia Manufacturing and Public Service Company
• Kennesaw Mills Company
• Kerby Saunders Incorporated
• Mckenney’s, Inc.
• Mead Container Packaging
• Mead Paper Company
• Mechanical Associates
• Merillat Industries
• Metropolitan Eye Hospital
• Miss Georgia Dairies
• Hickory Lake Apartments (Smyrna)
• Lawrenceville High School
• Jekyll Island Historical Power Plant
• Cowboys (Kennesaw)

Georgia Laws That Affect Asbestos Cases

Each state has its own laws regarding asbestos litigation and claims. Understanding the laws that impact victims filing a lawsuit and recovering damages is important. Because some of these laws make it more difficult to succeed, relying on an experienced asbestos firm is essential.

Statute of Limitations

The statute of limitations sets a deadline for filing lawsuits related to personal injury or wrongful death in Georgia:

• Under Ga. Code Ann. § 9-3-20 et seq., plaintiffs filing an asbestos-related lawsuit in the state of Georgia must file within two years of the time of diagnosis or within two years of when the illness was discovered.
• Wrongful death lawsuits follow the same two-rule; the lawsuit must be filed within two years of the date of the victim’s death.
• Georgia allows asbestos-related cases to be consolidated as defined in Rule 42 (a) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure.

2005 Asbestos Litigation Reforms

The Georgia Supreme Court mandated new restrictions in 2005 that make filing and winning an asbestos-related lawsuit more challenging for victims:

• In the past, asbestos victims had to prove that asbestos contributed to their disease, but now it must also be proven to be a substantial contributing factor and the primary cause of a disease.
• A medical report must be presented, approved by a physician, that states the victim’s disease came from asbestos exposure. This rule applies to all asbestos-related diseases except for mesothelioma.
• A physician must also verify that it has been at least 15 years have passed between the victim’s first exposure to asbestos and the diagnosis.
• Victims can only file if they are currently a resident of Georgia and/or were a resident at the time of asbestos exposure.

Take-Home Duty for Secondhand Asbestos Exposure

Most people with mesothelioma were directly exposed to asbestos at work. Some people experienced secondhand asbestos exposure when a family member who worked with it brought fibers home on their clothing.

Some states have recognized that companies had a duty to warn employees of this risk. Georgia does not recognize that duty, known as take-home duty.

The Georgia Supreme Court ruled that CertainTeed did not have a duty to warn in a 2016 lawsuit. The victim developed mesothelioma because her father worked at CertainTeed and brought asbestos fibers home without understanding the risks.

What Are Georgia’s Asbestos Safety Laws?

The Environmental Protection Division (EPD) of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is responsible for the state’s laws governing asbestos and asbestos abatement projects in Georgia.

• Rule 391-3-4-.04 (8) of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources Rules mandates that any “asbestos-containing waste” must be transported for disposal in a state-approved vehicle that has a separate compartment area to transport the asbestos in.
• The asbestos must be disposed of in permitted landfills and waste areas within the state.
• Each container with asbestos must be sealed tight with the proper warning labels on the front.
• All friable asbestos must be “wetted” before removing it from the asbestos abatement project area. The asbestos must remain wet while encapsulating it for proper disposal.
• Written notification must be sent to the state within seven days before starting any asbestos abatement project in Georgia.

For more detailed information and additional regulations involved in Georgia asbestos abatement, contact the EPD at 404-657-5947 or toll-free at 888-373-5947.

A recent investigation by 11Alive News in Atlanta uncovered issues with enforcing these regulations. The news agency found that lawmakers largely defunded the program in 2011.

They also found that the Georgia DNR rarely checks on violations of the state’s asbestos laws. Before the defunding, the agency found and acted on numerous violations. This lack of accountability puts residents at risk of harmful asbestos exposure and leads to more lawsuits.

Mesothelioma Treatment in Georgia

Victims dealing with an asbestos-related disease and finding the best mesothelioma treatments can be daunting. The National Cancer Institute (NCI) makes this process easier by appointing worthy care centers and hospitals as NCI-designated facilities.

The Winship Cancer Institute at Emory University (WCI) is an NCI-designated care center with researchers, physicians, cancer experts, and healthcare specialists focusing on mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases.

It’s important to seek mesothelioma treatment from a care center specializing in asbestos-related diseases. A typical small family clinic or a general practitioner usually doesn’t have the expertise and knowledge of a physician specializing in asbestos cancer.

Getting Legal Help in Georgia

As previously mentioned, if you’ve been diagnosed with mesothelioma, asbestos-related lung cancer, or asbestosis, you may be entitled to compensatory damages. Don’t forget to fill out our form to get our free Financial Compensation Packet, filled with information on the experienced asbestos and mesothelioma attorneys in your area. For questions and assistance, feel free to contact us at 800-793-4540.