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June 8th, 2005
Although the $140 billion asbestos trust fund bill passed its first hurdle earlier this month, many lawyers and victims are very concerned about whether the bill will benefit the people that really matter – those affected by asbestos related injuries. Many are still worried that the bill is nothing more than a safeguard for businesses, and that there will be little or no benefit to the victims of asbestos exposure.
Some are concerned that the trust fund will leave asbestos victims out in the cold. The widow of a man that died from asbestos stated, "My husband had to pay with his life. Why shouldn't they have to pay?" Her husband, Avery Parsons, died when he was just 57 years old after contracting mesothelioma through occupational exposure to asbestos.
Many people have been awarded millions of dollars after contracting asbestos related cancer as well as other asbestos related diseases. Around eighty companies have gone bankrupt after paying out huge settlements to victims of mesothelioma and other asbestos injuries. Skeptics think that the trust fund is aimed more at stopping this problem than at ensuring that victims receive compensation.
However, supporters of the bill have stated that the bill will benefit the true victims by weeding out frivolous claims, and that the bill will also ensure a more efficient and speedier payout to those with severe and terminal asbestos illness.
