By Masham Sheraz
Asbestos litigation is known to be the longest-running, most expensive mass tort in U.S. history, proof of which is the fact that it involves more than 8,000 defendants and 700,000 claimants. Legal claims for injuries from asbestos involve more plaintiffs, more defendants and higher costs than any other type of personal injury litigation. Some analysts have estimated that the total costs of asbestos litigation in the USA alone will eventually reach $200 to $275 billion in the years to come.
The main driving forces at the back of asbestos litigation are the diseases caused by exposure to asbestos; mesothelioma, asbestosis and cancer are just a few of these. There are no known cures for the cancers, and the seriousness of them has led plaintiffs to push for more information from current and former employers. Current trends indicate that the rate at which people are diagnosed with the disease will likely increase through the next decade.
