California Mesothelioma Attorneys at Kazan Law
The California mesothelioma attorneys at Kazan Law have been a pioneering force in the asbestos litigation field in the United States and in California since the early 1970s. As experienced California mesothelioma attorneys, we understand the many obstacles asbestos victims and their families face. The first challenge you face is choosing the best law firm for your situation. How do you go about this due diligence process? Let us help identify important factors when choosing your mesothelioma attorneys.
Why the Best California Mesothelioma Attorneys Are the Most Experienced
You need the best mesothelioma attorneys for your case. Mesothelioma is caused by only one thing – asbestos exposure. It is a merciless swift-moving disease once the symptoms become evident. But because the exposure may have happened years or even decades ago, it can be challenging to pinpoint the source of asbestos exposure and the culprit or culprits responsible. You need mesothelioma attorneys who have the skills cultivated from decades of experience to know exactly how to locate facts and evidence needed to win your lawsuit.
Kazan Law’s 22 mesothelioma attorneys work exclusively with lawsuits stemming from exposure to asbestos. Experience, as they say, is the best teacher. Kazan Law attorneys won some of the very first pioneering cases in California asbestos law. We helped establish the designation “mesothelioma attorneys” as a special category of trial lawyers. We have represented thousands of mesothelioma victims and won some of the largest awards in asbestos litigation. It is important to work with attorneys who have this kind of experience and who know how to get you the best possible outcome.
The California Mesothelioma Attorneys Who Launched Asbestos Justice
“Mesothelioma attorneys” did not exist when the first wave of asbestos cases hit the U.S. courts in the late 1960s and early 1970s. A few attorneys in Texas first started fighting for asbestos victims in 1966. They started filing lawsuits against major producers of asbestos-containing insulation products including Johns-Manville and Owens Corning Fiberglass. Talk about a situation of David going up against Goliath. These were tragic situations of loyal hard-working employees fatally sickened by major corporations. By 1973, after legal setbacks and appeals, the first U.S. legal victory for an asbestos victim was finally achieved.
In 1974, Steven Kazan, the founding partner of Kazan Law, had just started his law practice in Oakland, California. With a growing reputation for expertise in complicated medical issues, he was sought out to work on the first California asbestos lawsuits being filed against a Johns-Manville plant in nearby Pittsburg, CA. Soon Mr. Kazan was representing over 100 workers from Manville plants. Eventually that number grew to nearly 400. In 1983, Steven Kazan won a major victory against Johns-Manville.
Over the next decades, Steven Kazan welcomed into the growing firm brilliant passionate attorneys who had fought for justice for California farm workers and factory workers. Together they all became Kazan Law. Today over 40 years later, Kazan Law is still considered the top mesothelioma law firm in California.
Kazan Law’s Mesothelioma Attorneys Win Major Cases
Kazan Law’s dedicated mesothelioma attorneys continue to win major cases resulting in large monetary awards and settlements for clients. Our entire firm regularly receives top professional honors from the legal profession for legal and financial victories.
Kazan Law won an $11 million verdict in 2014 for the Bankhead family in a wrongful death suit. It was a complicated case involving several trials but we doggedly fought for our clients. Gordon Bankhead’s mesothelioma was caused by his work with brake linings produced by the Pneumo Abex company and others.
Prior to the Bankhead case, our mesothelioma attorneys had won a $5 million verdict for client James Hellam and his family. He had worked as a teenager during the summers for his grandfather’s boiler company. As part of his job, he mixed cement purchased in powder form from Crane Co. That was a very long time ago. Yet, Kazan Law attorneys were able to successfully establish this as the source of Mr. Hellam’s asbestos exposure. Crane Co. tried to deny that they were the ones who had exposed Mr. Hellam to asbestos. But the California mesothelioma attorneys at Kazan Law proved that Crane Co. executives were fully aware of the dangers presented by asbestos in their products and were negligent in not warning their customers.
In a recent precedent setting case, the California Supreme Court upheld a Kazan Law victory over the Ford Motor Company. Ford had sought immunity from the case because their headquarters are in Michigan where punitive damages are not permitted. But the courts ruled that what mattered was that the asbestos exposure occurred in California, where punitive damages stand. Kazan Law clients Patrick and Sharon Scotts were awarded $1.5 million dollars in punitive damages for Mr. Scott’s mesothelioma. Our mesothelioma attorneys helped prove that Mr. Scott’s work with automotive brakes had caused his illness.
California Mesothelioma Attorneys Who Make a Difference
Some mesothelioma law firms have been scrutinized and criticized for their conduct. Not Kazan Law. We will not take your case unless we believe we can win it. That is because we work only on contingency. We never charge any fees upfront or take any money from our clients until we achieve a financial award for them. We also make sure that you are not charged by your healthcare providers for your medical expenses while your case is underway. If necessary, we will arrange for a lien so that your expenses can be paid from your award after your case is successfully completed. The last thing you need when you are coping with the tragedy of mesothelioma is to have that tragedy compounded by debt from the costs of mesothelioma treatment. We will also review all your medical bills to make sure you are not being overcharged. As mesothelioma attorneys, we are also detectives. Most people can’t remember what they ate for breakfast last month let alone what product they might have been exposed to 30 years ago that may have contained asbestos. Because of our decades of experience as mesothelioma attorneys, we know very well all the possible asbestos-containing products you may have been exposed to and which companies produced them. We will do most of the work for you so that you can focus on what is most important – your health and your family. As California mesothelioma attorneys, defending your rights and your family’s well- being is job-one, our passion, and our pride.