U.S. federal courts now require asbestos manufacturers compensate cancer victims
An Alabama-based law firm has announced Rabun Apparel plant workers employed before 1981 who have been diagnosed with various cancers are entitled to special benefits.
Rabun Apparel reportedly had evidence of asbestos.
“Lung cancer, esophageal cancer, laryngeal cancer, pharyngeal cancer, stomach cancer, colon cancer, rectal cancer, and mesothelioma are frequently caused by asbestos exposure,” according to a prepared statement from Norris Injury Lawyers of Birmingham, Ala.
Norris Injury Lawyers has announced a specific initiative to assist employees from Rabun Gap’s Rabun Apparel in recovering money set aside for them in these asbestos trusts. Cancer victims or the families of deceased victims who worked at the plant before 1981 may call 800-478-9578 for a free evaluation of their claim. Additional information is available at getnorris.com/asb.
According to the law firm, asbestos-laced products were used for decades at Rabun Apparel and neither the employees nor management were aware of the asbestos risk.
“Asbestos is a mineral that in its natural state is harmless,” cites the statement. “It becomes harmful when it is pulled apart or ground up into flexible fibers. Then, when inhaled or swallowed, microscopic asbestos fibers may be permanently affixed to body tissue. Over many years, these fibers may cause genetic changes that can lead to cancer.”
The statement noted that according to the National Cancer Institute, “It can take from 10 to 40 years or more for asbestos-related cancers to appear.”
To compensate cancer victims and the families of deceased cancer victims, the statement said Federal Bankruptcy Courts have required asbestos manufacturers to set aside hundreds of millions of dollars in private trusts.
“Through these trusts, cancer victims can receive money damages by the filing of timely, detailed, and accurate claims,” reads the statement.
Rabun Apparel, the Rabun County plant for Fruit of the Loom facility in Rabun Gap, closed in 2006. All 930 of Rabun Apparel’s employees were laid off during the shutdown.