Ohio Mesothelioma Lawyer
Ohio workers faced significant asbestos exposure through most of the 1900s and still experience effects today in the form of devastating illnesses, including mesothelioma. These companies knew their workers were being harmed but failed to disclose the truth about asbestos. Our Ohio mesothelioma lawyers at The Lanier Law Firm help people with mesothelioma recover substantial compensation.
Mesothelioma is a rare, aggressive cancer with a poor prognosis. Asbestos exposure is the primary cause. According to the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, approximately 650 Ohioans were diagnosed with mesothelioma from 2015 to 2019.
This is in addition to the thousands of others who developed lung cancer, asbestosis, and other devastating illnesses.
The companies that mined, processed, and used asbestos could have prevented this by informing the public and using alternative materials. Instead, they actively covered up that knowledge to protect their profits.
The Ohio mesothelioma lawyers at The Lanier Law Firm are dedicated to holding them accountable and ensuring they compensate their victims.
An Experienced Mesothelioma Law Firm With a 25-Year History of Successful Results
The Lanier Law Firm has more than 25 years of experience helping asbestos-exposure victims get justice. We have won nearly $20 billion in settlements and verdicts on behalf of individuals facing large companies with unlimited resources. Our results for Ohio mesothelioma clients include:
- $1.6 million recovery for the family of a man diagnosed with mesothelioma following exposure to asbestos through construction work, automotive work, and while working with cranes
- $2.1 million recovery for the family of a man diagnosed with mesothelioma throughout his work history as a pipefitter, millwright, welder, construction laborer, and automotive mechanic
- $1.2 million recovery for the family of a Navy man diagnosed with mesothelioma who was exposed in the Navy and throughout his civilian career as a laborer and millwright
When you hire an Ohio mesothelioma attorney at The Lanier Law Firm, you can count on us to take every necessary measure to ensure you receive the maximum compensation available. We will spend significant time with you to ensure we identify all sources of exposure so each company can be held accountable.
We value our attorney-client relationships and treat each client like family. We regularly receive positive feedback from our clients:
Patricia Shelton, M.D.
- Last Modified April 25, 2023
An Experienced Mesothelioma Law Firm With a 25-Year History of Successful Results
How are people in Ohio exposed to asbestos?
Ohio Companies That Exposed People to Asbestos
How is asbestos regulated in Ohio?
Legal Options for Ohioans Diagnosed With Mesothelioma
How much time do I have to file a mesothelioma claim in Ohio?
Mesothelioma Treatment Centers in Ohio
“Lanier Law Firm has gone above and beyond to research every company that had a hand in this horrible cancer! They are making sure that the ones who caused his illness and ultimately, his death, have had to pay for their crimes. There aren’t enough stars to rate this law firm!” — Kristy Brown
“The Lanier Law firm has been such a blessing for our family. My mother passed away from mesothelioma. The many settlements my father received allowed him to live comfortably until he passed away at 95.” — Nancy Katkowski
Our Featured Attorneys
Leydyluz “Luz” Symphorien-Restrepo
Leydyluz Symphorien-Restrepo is an experienced trial lawyer with a passion for helping people who have been victimized. Before joining The Lanier Law Firm, she represented members of the Latino community in Central Florida in personal injury matters.
Early in her career, she served as a prosecutor in the state attorney’s office at the Ninth Judicial Circuit in Orlando, Florida.
Today, she focuses exclusively on helping asbestos-exposure victims get justice. Best Lawyers has rated Mrs. Symphorien-Restrepo as one of the “ones to watch” in 2023.
Mark Lanier
Mark Lanier is the founder of The Lanier Law Firm and one of the most accomplished mesothelioma lawyers in the world. He is recognized by The New York Times as one of the “top civil trial lawyers in America.”
He is well-known in the legal community for his Benchmark Series, where he mentors other attorneys in mesothelioma litigation. He is a lifetime achievement recipient of the “America’s Top 100 Attorneys” designation.
His successful courtroom results have been featured in such prestigious publications as The New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, The Wall Street Journal, and Bloomberg News.
Mark Lanier’s success in the courtroom can be partly attributed to his ability to use unconventional means to argue the case, his tech savvy, his talent for connecting with juries, and his passion for justice.
How are people in Ohio exposed to asbestos?
Ohio is a major agricultural and industrial manufacturing hub that leads the nation in the production of:
- Plastics
- Rubber
- Fabricated metals
- Electrical Equipment
- Appliances
The state is a leading producer of steel, autos, and trucks. Ohio is also home to a large network of railroads, which have provided an inexpensive means of transportation throughout Ohio’s rich manufacturing history while also exposing workers to significant amounts of asbestos.
Occupational asbestos exposure is the most common source of exposure with the highest exposure levels. However, it is not the only source of asbestos exposure.
Occupational Asbestos Exposure
Asbestos is heavily restricted in the workplace today, but due to the latency of mesothelioma, many workers only now realize its devastating effects. Workers may continue to encounter asbestos while working in buildings constructed before 1990 or while working with older equipment. The following Ohio occupations are at risk:
- Engine room workers
- Engineers
- Millwrights
- Pipefitters
- Welders
- Railroad workers
- Insulation workers
- Construction workers
- Maintenance Workers
- Boiler workers
- Electricians
- Plumbers
- Power plant workers
- Asbestos miners
- Oil refinery workers
- Aviation workers
- Auto mechanics
- Factory workers
- Firefighters
- Navy veterans
- Coast Guard veterans
- Shipbuilders
Akron Rubber Talc Settlement
Talc is a naturally occurring mineral mined in areas that can contain asbestos. Talc is also known as soapstone, and it is used industrially to prevent substances from sticking. It was extensively used in the rubber industry from the 1950s through the 1980s to prevent rubber from sticking to machine parts.
According to the Akron Beacon Journal, rubber workers in Akron who were exposed to asbestos through talc supplied by Eastern Magnesia Talc, or Emtal, reached a $72.5 million class action settlement.
Approximately 3,800 rubber workers and their heirs may be eligible for settlement proceeds of up to $300,000.
Environmental Asbestos Exposure
Environmental asbestos exposure is a more passive form of exposure in which asbestos happens to be present in the environment. Among the most common sources of environmental asbestos exposure are secondary asbestos exposure and asbestos exposure in public buildings, especially schools.
Secondary Asbestos Exposure
Secondary asbestos exposure occurs when workers who have been exposed to asbestos carry the asbestos fibers home on their skin, hair, and clothing. These fibers become airborne in the home, where family members can inhale them.
Asbestos in Schools
The Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act was passed by Congress in 1986 and is enforced by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Its purpose is to require school districts to perform inspections, develop asbestos management plans, and inform the public about these plans and the results of their inspections. The regulations also require staff training in asbestos management.
Asbestos is still a significant problem in Ohio schools, many of which were built before 1980, when asbestos was commonly used. Asbestos in schools may be found in insulation, floor tiles, pipe insulation, boiler rooms, ceilings, plumbing pipes, and industrial adhesives.
The cost of asbestos abatement can place a strain on public schools and disrupt educational activities. Ohio Code § 2305.091 gives schools the right to file civil lawsuits against the companies that provided asbestos as a means to recoup expenses related to asbestos abatement.
Unfortunately, no meaningful enforcement of the Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act is in effect, and the right to file an action has not been sufficient to prevent Ohio schoolchildren and staff from being exposed to asbestos.
Buckeye Education School
In 2013, teenage volunteers were filmed cleaning asbestos-contaminated materials from Buckeye Education School, a private religious school in Berea, with no protective gear. This allegedly occurred over weeks and triggered a criminal investigation.
Fitch High School
Asbestos was found under a warped gym floor while workers repaired burst water pipes, according to a report by WFMJ News. The school admitted that more water pipes were at risk of bursting. This could result in additional flooring damage with the resulting release of asbestos fibers.
Oakwood City Schools
According to a 2020 report prepared for Oakwood City Schools by MacParan, a local asbestos abatement company, asbestos was found in the following components at the junior/senior high school:
- Pipe insulation
- Fitting insulation
- Tank insulation
- Acoustical ceiling plaster
- Transite panels
- HVAC paper insulation
- Window glazing
- Exterior door frame caulking
- Canvas/horsehair ceiling in the auditorium
St. Michael School
The Columbus Dispatch reported that a damaged floor tile released asbestos dust at St. Michael School, a private Catholic school in Worthington, causing a delay to the beginning of the school year.
Cosmetic Talc
In addition to industrial uses, the softness of talc makes it valuable in cosmetics, especially powder-based cosmetics and most notably baby powder. The Lanier Law Firm was the first to prevail in a lawsuit connecting asbestos in baby powder to ovarian cancer.
The verdict resulted in a historical $4.69 billion award for 21 women, which was later reduced to $2.1 billion and upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court.
Cosmetic talc has also been linked to mesothelioma, according to the American Journal of Industrial Medicine. One study found that the mesothelioma latency period was shortened after exposure to asbestos through cosmetic talc.
The study also found a higher incidence of peritoneal mesothelioma. Peritoneal mesothelioma typically accounts for 10 to 15 percent of mesothelioma cases, but in the talc study, it comprised 30.67 percent of cases and mostly impacted women.
Ohio Companies That Exposed People to Asbestos
Thousands of companies throughout the state of Ohio exposed workers to asbestos. Asbestos was considered a miracle mineral. As a result, it was used in a wide range of products, including:
Insulation
Firebrick
Cement
Adhesives
Fireproofing materials
Machinery
Plaster
Drywall
Electrical wiring
Textiles
Automobile friction parts
Boilers
Floors
Roofing shingles
Plumbing pipes
Consumer products
Akron
Akron has long been known as the rubber capital of the world, according to Smart Business. It is the home of three of the nation’s leading tire manufacturers:
- B.F. Goodrich Tire
- Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company
- Firestone Tire and Rubber Company
All three of these tire companies have a history of exposing workers to asbestos. Other companies that exposed workers to asbestos in the Summit County area include:
- Akron, Bedford, and Cleveland Railway Company
- Akron Brewing Company
- Akron Chemical Plant
- Akron Electric Company
- Akron Gas Company
- Akron Standard
- Akron Steel Treating
- Akron Water Works Company