Clapper Patti Schweizer & Mason Mesothelioma Attorneys serving clients in San Diego California and across the United States

We are California mesothelioma attorneys with years of success recovering millions for San Diego mesothelioma patients and their families. Because San Diego has been such a hub of activity for the United States Navy, many people who were exposed to asbestos at San Diego ship repair facilities and Naval bases have been afflicted with mesothelioma.

Our attorneys have been representing mesothelioma patients for 25 years.

We have obtained hundreds of millions of dollars in settlements and jury awards for our clients in asbestos lawsuits.

San Diego sites where our clients have worked include the 32nd Street Naval Base, North Island Naval Air Station, Campbell Industries Shipyard, San Diego Marine Shipyard, Triple A Shipyard, National Steel Shipyard, San Diego County Courthouse, the San Diego County Jail, San Diego Juvenile Courthouse Complex, San Diego County Mental Health Center, University of San Diego Hospital, San Diego Health Services Complex, among many others. We have a vast library of information about these and many other San Diego sites, that includes information about the types and brands of asbestos products used at each location.

We represent mesothelioma patients and their families. Mesothelioma is a very serious form of cancer, and families who have been touched by mesothelioma have many challenges ahead. Whatever treatment options a mesothelioma patient chooses, treatment is expensive. A mesothelioma diagnosis can often mean financial hardship without some kind of legal assistance. Our experienced asbestos attorneys can help provide fast compensation to San Diego area families impacted by mesothelioma. The financial resources we make available allow our clients to focus on fighting mesothelioma, beating the odds, and enjoying time with their loved ones.

Every mesothelioma patient’s exposure to asbestos is different. Some, such as insulators, shipyard workers, or boilermakers, had jobs that obviously involved working with asbestos. However, many mesothelioma victims we have represented have not known how or when they were exposed to asbestos until our lawyers completed an extensive asbestos exposure investigation.

By getting to know each client as an individual, and by learning each client’s personal story of asbestos exposure, we can show which asbestos companies were responsible for causing the mesothelioma. As lawyers for people with mesothelioma we hold the asbestos industry accountable for the damage their asbestos products have done. Many people with mesothelioma who first contact us mistakenly believe the asbestos companies did not know their asbestos products caused cancer until the 1970's or 1980's.

This is unfortunately not true. Documents our lawyers have obtained in litigation show that manufacturers of asbestos products knew the workers in their own factories were getting asbestos related lung cancer and mesothelioma from asbestos as early as the 1930's and 1940's, yet they hid this knowledge. It is a modern tragedy that most cases of mesothelioma and other asbestos cancers could and should have been prevented. While we cannot undo the harm that asbestos has caused, our mission as mesothelioma attorneys is to hold the wrongdoers accountable, and to recover the maximum compensation possible for our mesothelioma clients.

Our lawyers represent not only people who have been diagnosed with mesothelioma, but also spouses, sons and daughters of people who have died from mesothelioma. If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with mesothelioma cancer, please contact us as soon as possible. One of our lawyers will fly to your home within a few days. In most cases, you will not have to travel or even appear in court. Our lawyers will investigate your case, meet with you and take video depositions. You will not have to pay any attorneys’ fees unless we obtain a financial settlement for you. Call our toll-free number or fill out the contact form on this page to consult with an experienced asbestos lawyer at no cost about financial assistance available to mesothelioma patients.

Mesothelioma Attorneys San Diego

To begin, the attorney must specialize in Mesothelioma cases and that has handled a large number of similar cases. You would also want the attorney to have enough staff to handle the legal process. Thirdly, you want a lawyer that will explain to you step by step the process and exactly what is details, as far as price, time and dedication.


What Is The Full Process?

Fees

The attorney must go through and explain all fees upfront. They should explain if your case should be handled as an individual case or as part of a class action. The attorney must explain if they work on a contingency fee and how much that percentage is. They must also tell you about any other fees entailed.

Steps

Diagnosis

The doctor will ask you, where and when you were exposed to asbestoses. The answer to this question is also critical to the Mesothelioma Attorneys San Diego for investigating the claim. The doctor's diagnosis and treatment plan is also key in determining compensation sufficient to cover the cost of that treatment.

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Investigation

The law firm will need to have specialized investigators research the potential sources of the asbestos exposure. The investigators will also research the exposure sites and products, the manufacturers, the distributors and sellers of the asbestoses materials and products responsible for the exposure to asbestos.

The Filing Of The Law Suit

The attorney will then be in a position to file a suit and a claim for damages against the parties responsible for the client's exposure to asbestoses.


Client's Deposition

Soon after the filing of the law suit the attorney will ask to provide testimony concerning the merits of the case including patient's medical condition and circumstances of exposure.

Trial / Settlement?

The case will either go to trial or a settlement will be agreed to.

Appeals

Should either the client or the defendant not accept the judgment they have the right to appeal. The law firm the patient chooses should include the appeals process as part of the agreement

Clapper Patti Schweizer & Mason Mesothelioma Attorneys Serving San Diego, CA, Southern California and the entire United States

an Diego has ranked high over the years in the number of cancer-related deaths due to mesothelioma, a cancer caused by asbestos exposure. Because San Diego was a hub of activity for the United States Navy, many people were unknowingly exposed to asbestos fibers at ship repair facilities and naval bases. Over 400 people in San Diego County have been diagnosed with mesothelioma in the last 20 years. Yet mesothelioma isn’t limited to San Diego. Elsewhere in Southern California mesothelioma has affected workers and their families.

Communities such as Orange County, Ventura, San Bernardino and Los Angeles all harbor their share of mesothelioma cases. Los Angeles County reported 366 cases of mesothelioma between 2001 and 2005. Orange County reported 145 cases in the same period. San Diego County reported 157 cases. In fact nearly half the cases in all of California during those five years have been discovered in Southern California.

The attorneys at Clapper Patti Schweizer & Mason, who have represented mesothelioma patients for more than 25 years, are specialists in obtaining substantial settlements in asbestos lawsuits. In San Diego alone, for instance, our attorneys have obtained millions in compensation for residents with asbestos exposure and mesothelioma.

In our vast library of information about risk sites we have evidence of the types and brands of asbestos products used at each location, including the following:

Mesothelioma Structured Settlement Sale

There are a lot of facts that you should be aware of in case you are interested in Mesothelioma Structured Settlement Sale. Mesothelioma is a rare type of cancer and the more common type is called pleural Mesothelioma. Mesothelioma is caused by exposure to asbestos. Mesothelioma diagnosis is a difficult task because many of the symptoms are similar to other conditions, like lung cancer. Usually chest x-ray, CT scan and MRI scan will allow a doctor to do a good Mesothelioma diagnosis. These tests aid the doctor in differentiating between mesothelioma and other lung tumors. And they can also help in determining where the tumor is.

Asbestos is a mineral fiber that was used in the construction of buildings because of its highly effective insulation and flame resistant properties. The inhalation of these fibers is directly related to the diagnosis of Mesothelioma. The way to confirm a Mesothelioma diagnosis is a biopsy, in which an oncologist or a doctor specialized in diagnosing and treating cancer pathologies takes a sample of tissue from the patient to examine it under a microscope. The doctor makes a small cut through the patient's chest and introduce a tube called thoracoscope to look inside and take tissue samples.

Unfortunately once Mesothelioma diagnosis has been given to a patient, they often only live up to a maximum of a year, sometimes longer if they are very fortunate, and most of the time only a few months. Victims only want to ensure that their last days are comfortable and that their families will not need to be worried about medical bills and future expenses after their death. That's why they receive as a compensation (if this word is appropriate in this case) a structured settlement. But there are occasions where one has to quickly come up with a large sum of money and then Mesothelioma Structured Settlement Sale could be the only option.

There are millions of workers who do not suspect that the exposure to asbestos can lead to the development of Mesothelioma. Asbestos was used as a building material years ago because it was not flammable and did not conduct electricity. If you discover that the nature of your work has exposed you to asbestos, then you should hire an attorney and seek your legal rights (compensation) in court. By consulting yourself with a Mesothelioma attorney, you can determine your chances of getting a structured settlement for the development of this disease, due to a work environment containing asbestos.

A mesothelioma attorney sell structured settlement can provide you with a stable income. But you can also sell structured settlement mesothelioma diagnosis. On the internet, you can find plenty of info regarding mesothelioma attorney viaticals sell structured settlement as well as mesothelioma treatment sell structured settlement. Mesothelioma sell structured settlement will get you a lump sum of cash right away.

Making The Most Of Your Structured Settlement Money

Getting structured settlement money can be a complex process and anything can happen. It all starts by receiving proper medical attention after the incident. That's the most important part. Next thing is to get your medical records so that you can prove in court how you have been injured. These records will help your case as they will be proof of the extent of your injury and can be used as testimony in this regard.

When you sell structured settlement payments, what you are actually selling is no the annuity itself but your right to receive a stream of future payments. This right is your asset and you can assign it to someone else in order to accelerate the payout. But the most common problem related with structured settlements is considering the tax implications of annuity payments as state law has regulated selling settlement annuity payments. You would need court permission to sell it. The court would examine whether the sale is in the interests of the annuitant, before permitting (or rejecting) the sale application.

You have different options to get money for structured settlement. The first way to receive money for structured settlements is to have them all at once. Next possibility is to receive them over a certain period of time. The advantage of receiving structured settlement money over a period of time is that they will earn interest for the plaintiff, helping to offset inflation, and increasing the amount of the payout. There are some tax advantages associated with a structured settlement designed to counteract this dissipation by providing guarantees long after the settlement is reached.

But individuals are not obligated to receive their payments over time. The beneficiary can choose to sell part or all of his or her future structured settlement payments. One large or several large payments can be received "upfront" providing the cash needed when it's needed. The only problem with that is that insurance companies will offer you about 50% less than what you would otherwise receive through regular monthly payments. So you will be loosing money in the long run for the sake of getting funds now.

In order to get the most structured settlement money, make sure you hire a knowledgeable agent, a highly rated one, working for a well capitalized insurance company. Note that attorney's fees can be included in the structured settlement as well. This allows the plaintiff's attorney to defer income for future events such as retirement or college expenses for children.

What Is A Structured Settlement?

A lot of people don't really know What Is A Structured Settlement and hence they miss out on consolation it can provide them. As defined in wikipedia.org, a "structured settlement is a financial or insurance arrangement, including periodic payments, that a claimant accepts to resolve a personal injury tort claim or to compromise a statutory periodic payment obligation." Each country has its own rules and laws governing structured settlement so definitions may vary accordingly.

It's interesting to point out that you can even sell your structure settlement in case of a financial difficulties. Of course, this is only valid in case you are the person who was injured. Life changes, but structured settlements are not so flexible as they only provide a fixed amount of money every month, for a given period of time. But in case you need more money at a given moment, to take care of medical bills or other issues, then you can take advantage of the possibility to sell your structured settlement. But typically you can not use structured settlement benefits as a collateral for a loan. The reason is that the federal law designed to provide these benefits to you on a tax-free basis also prohibits you from assigning or encumbering them.

Don't get mislead by some advertisements saying that they will turn your cash payments into a lump sum. As stated in the law, structured settlements can not be traded back for a lump sum settlement, because you are given special tax treatment with regard to structured settlements' proceeds, and you cannot then take that in a lump sum fashion and invest it again. What these companies actually do is to buy your monthly payments, and instead of you, they would receive the payments just as you would have over time. But the whole trick is that they will buy your structured settlement for a far lesser amount than the gross proceeds than you would get over time. So the whole thing is that you will loose money in the long term in exchange for getting it sooner. Some people loose up to 50% of the total amount to be paid to them over the long run. If you should ever go to this route, make sure you negotiate and don't sell your structured settlement cheaply.

It's highly recommended that you use the services of a lawyer for all maters related to structured settlements. As a matter of fact, in some states, one is obligated to have a lawyer in order to acquire a structured settlement annuity.

Structured settlements provide a stable, periodic, tax-free income. A structured settlement can be sold for a lump sum. You can use the structured settlement money for whatever you want. A personal injury structured settlement is a form of financial compensation. Same goes out for structured insruance settlement.

The Types Of Structured Settlement Funding

Structured Settlement Funding is available in different forms. A structured settlement works as a compensation for a physical injury. It can be received as a lump sum or paid over a defined period of time. Structured Settlement money can be received in one of the following forms - period certain, lump sum, life, temporary, endowment, joint, installement refund, cash refund.

Here is the definition of structured settlement given by the Internal Revenue Code - "an arrangement-'(A) which is established by-'(i) suit or agreement for the periodic payment of damages excludable from the gross income of the recipient under section 104(a)(2), or '(ii) agreement for the periodic payment of compensation under any workers' compensation law excludable from the gross income of the recipient under section 104(a)(1), and '(B) under which the periodic payments are-'(i) of the character described in subparagraphs (A) and (B) of section 130 (c)(2), and '(ii) payable by a person who is a party to the suit or agreement or to the workers' compensation claim or by a person who has assumed the liability for such periodic payments under a qualified assignment in accordance with section 130."

Structured Settlement Funding in the form of period certain means that a specified amount will be received regularly for a period of time. The payment amount may be level or increasing regularly (usually annually) by a percentage (i.e., 3% compounded) or in fixed steps to help keep pace with inflation. Payment intervals can be weekly, monthly, quarterly, semiannually, annually, or longer.

The life form means that annuity payments will be made for as long as the annuitant lives or for the "Period Certain," whichever is longer. Payments may be level or increasing regularly. Lump sum is self-explanatory, as the injured person will receive a specific amount once. Installement refund means payments will be made for as long as the annuitant lives.

The temporary payments means that annuity payments are made for specific fixed period or for as long as the annuitant is alive, whichever is shorter. On the other hand, "endowment" stands for a lump sum payment which will be paid only if the measuring life (annuitant) is living on the date the payment is due.

Joint structured settlement funding represents annuity payments made for as long as at least one of the annuitants is living on the date the payment is scheduled to be made. This contract will terminate upon either the date of the last surviving annuitant's death or the date the last guaranteed payment is made, whichever is longer. Some companies offer a different percentage of the benefit (i.e., 50%, 200%, etc.) to be paid to the survivor after the first death.