Can you review this case? Please? What do you think is wrong with this case?
By admin on Jul 23, 2009 in Law & Ethics
Powerpuff cutie24 asked:
Ok well a friend of mine is gong through a lawsuit about some asbestos where he formerly worked. It was a paper mill that was around his family and most of his family and friends worked there(The mill closed down like in the early 90s). A lawyer approached him and his family/friends telling them that they had a case. So they went ahead and sued and for over 10 years the case has been in the process. Now the case is supposedly settled. He called the lawyer and the lawyer says its supposed to be millions but he doesn’t know the exact amount. Some people in his family have died from brain damage, cancer, etc. which we don’t know if its asbestos related it could have been. The lawyer says you only get money if you have some kind of birth defect but you don’t get money for the brother/sister, mother/father that you lost that was possibly from the asbestos in the mill. Do you think this case is fishy? I think its strange that they don’t know how much money him and his family are getting….
Also the case was held in Texas and we’re in Louisiana so all the court dates or whatever were never attended by him or his family/friends only by the lawyer. So no one knows what went on in the court room. His family trusts the lawyer with everything! They think that he’s going to do everything honestly but I was trying to tell them that lawyers are crooks and you can’t trust them to handle everything for you. Next week the family is supposed to sign to close the case and he still doesn’t know how much each family will receive. He says after they sign next week the checks will be sent out in the upcoming weeks. Plus there are some people in my friends family that weren’t on the list anymore because they didn’t have a birth defect…I think this is very fishy. Please tell me what do you think I should tell him to do because he feels that its stranger too. Thanks a million!
Ok well a friend of mine is gong through a lawsuit about some asbestos where he formerly worked. It was a paper mill that was around his family and most of his family and friends worked there(The mill closed down like in the early 90s). A lawyer approached him and his family/friends telling them that they had a case. So they went ahead and sued and for over 10 years the case has been in the process. Now the case is supposedly settled. He called the lawyer and the lawyer says its supposed to be millions but he doesn’t know the exact amount. Some people in his family have died from brain damage, cancer, etc. which we don’t know if its asbestos related it could have been. The lawyer says you only get money if you have some kind of birth defect but you don’t get money for the brother/sister, mother/father that you lost that was possibly from the asbestos in the mill. Do you think this case is fishy? I think its strange that they don’t know how much money him and his family are getting….
Also the case was held in Texas and we’re in Louisiana so all the court dates or whatever were never attended by him or his family/friends only by the lawyer. So no one knows what went on in the court room. His family trusts the lawyer with everything! They think that he’s going to do everything honestly but I was trying to tell them that lawyers are crooks and you can’t trust them to handle everything for you. Next week the family is supposed to sign to close the case and he still doesn’t know how much each family will receive. He says after they sign next week the checks will be sent out in the upcoming weeks. Plus there are some people in my friends family that weren’t on the list anymore because they didn’t have a birth defect…I think this is very fishy. Please tell me what do you think I should tell him to do because he feels that its stranger too. Thanks a million!
On Jul 26, 2009, Barry C said:
Why do they want money from something they couldn’t even be bothered to pay attention to and manage their interests over a 10 year period on such a serious matter?
Sounds like they are sitting around hoping to win the lottery. I am sorry for their losses, but everyone knows what happens when you play the lottery.
On Jul 28, 2009, michr said:
sounds like a class action suit, in which case, each member of the class will get next to nothing. the lawyer will take home a bundle.
On Jul 31, 2009, James Watkin said:
First you need to hire an attorney on your own because it is illegal in Texas for an attorney to ‘chase’ you. If indeed this was the case and there was a settlement, any fees collected by the attorney will be returned to you minus the fees for the new attorney. For example, if the case was taken on a ‘win’ basis, they usually keep 35 percent. You could hire an attorney on your own who would take the case on a wim basis and they would get 35 percent of the 35 percent. Say the original 35 percent was 100, 000 dollars, then your new attorney would get 35, 000 and you would get the rest. If it was a large settlement, this is definitely worth pursuing. If we are talking 35 percent of 10,000 dollars, you probably won’t find an attorney willing to waste his time on 3,500 dollars. Especially considering the hours involved in research and litigation.
Then you need to go to or call the courthouse and ask to see the records, if you request a copy, you have to pay for the copy, but to view them in person it is free. You will need to know the name of the party being sued and the date (or a good estimate).
I think that if I signed papers with an attorney, I would have been in contact with them and would know what is going on. Not sitting around on my butt waiting for it to rain money. Did they sign something? If so, read the copy. That would tell you enough info to look up the case at the courthouse.
On Aug 1, 2009, raichasays said:
The case documents are a matter of public record. If this is a federal case, you can go to pacer.com and look them up.
But if they don’t like the settlement, what is it that they think they can do about that now? Where does your “fishy” feeling lead you?