asbestos

Many veterans and shipyard workers assume that anyone who built equipment for the Navy is untouchable in court. That belief is understandable, because a federal defense does exist. But it is narrow. The defendant must prove it, and courts have rejected it in some Louisiana asbestos cases. What the Defense Requires The government contractor defense […]

Asbestos exposure at a Louisiana shipyard rarely fits neatly under a single legal framework. Whether federal maritime law, the Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act, or state tort law applies can depend on the worker’s job, the exposure location, and any tie to a U.S. Navy vessel. Worker Status Often Decides Which Law Applies The Longshore […]

Storm damage often exposes decades-old building materials, and demolition or cleanup work can send asbestos fibers into the air long before anyone diagnoses the resulting illness. Mesothelioma and other asbestos diseases can take 20, 30, or more years to appear, which means a claim connected to a specific hurricane cleanup job may not surface until […]

Workers who came into an industrial site for a shutdown or turnaround, rather than years of steady employment there, sometimes assume their exposure was too brief to matter legally. That assumption isn’t necessarily right. Louisiana law recognizes that even short periods around asbestos can create real risk, but proving it takes specific evidence.  Why Short […]

Secondary asbestos exposure happens when someone encounters asbestos fibers without working directly with asbestos. For many Louisiana families, that exposure came home on work clothes, boots, tools, hair, skin, or vehicle interiors. Years later, a spouse, child, or other household member may face mesothelioma, asbestos-related lung cancer, or another serious disease.  Secondary Asbestos Exposure Asbestos […]

Lung cancer claims can become harder when more than one risk factor may have played a role. A person may have a smoking history, workplace exposure, military exposure, environmental exposure, or a family history of lung disease. That does not automatically rule out an asbestos-related claim. In Louisiana, the key question often becomes whether asbestos […]

Asbestos exposure is often linked to shipyards, plants, and older industrial work. But it can also happen at home. In New Orleans, Baton Rouge, and other Louisiana communities with older housing stock, renovation work may disturb asbestos-containing materials that sat untouched for decades. The risk usually starts when someone cuts, sands, breaks, removes, or tears […]

Asbestos cases often involve old job sites, old products, and companies that no longer look the way they did decades ago. Sometimes the original manufacturer shut down, sold assets, merged, or reappeared under a different name. That raises a hard but important question: Who can still be held responsible? In Louisiana, the answer depends on […]

A mesothelioma or asbestos-related disease diagnosis raises an immediate legal question: Who is responsible? You can’t sue the asbestos industry in general because claims must name specific manufacturers whose products caused a specific person’s exposure. That process, called product identification, is one of the most challenging and consequential parts of any asbestos case. Why Product […]

Asbestos diseases rarely show up right after exposure. Many Louisiana workers move from job site to job site over decades, then receive a diagnosis years later. That gap creates a hard question in court: When did “prescription” (Louisiana’s statute of limitations) start running?  Louisiana Prescription Basics for Asbestos Injuries Louisiana generally gives plaintiffs one year […]