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Many clients in the asbestos litigation are shocked to learn that the sale of asbestos is not illegal. Even in 2014, where people continue to die of mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases, it remains legal to import asbestos, manufacture asbestos products, and sell asbestos products. No matter what your politics are, you SHOULD be shocked to learn that Congress cannot pass a bill to ban asbestos. Democratic Senator Patty Murray (D-Wa) and Democratic Senator Barbara Boxer (D-Ca) fought to pass such a bill, banning asbestos, called the Ban Asbestos in America Act", several years ago. While it initially passed in the Senate, the bill ultimately did not become law.

The daughter of an engineer who worked at Engelhard Corporation (a New Jersey company) contracted mesothelioma, a form of cancer caused only by asbestos in the United States. She claimed in the lawsuit that her father brought asbestos home on his clothes and also claimed exposure when she would visit him at work. The suit claimed that the talc at the Engelhard plant was contaminated with asbestos. At the time of the lawsuit, Engelhard no longer existed because a huge German chemical company, BASF SE, had  bought it. For years, Engelhard, and then BASF, and defense lawyers at the Cahill Gordon & Reindel lawfirm, maintained in thousands of asbestos cases that Engelhard's talc was asbestos-free. Now there is a lawsuit filed against BASF and also the Cahill lawfirm, claiming that they conspired to prevent injured or deceased plaintiffs from receiving compensation for their asbestos disease. The plaintiffs in that lawsuit claim that BASF and the Cahill lawfirm conspired to destroy or hide incriminating documents and obtained false affidavits from Engelhard employees. That lawsuit is still pending and those allegations will have to be proven in court.  If you or a loved one worked for Engelhard Corporation, or believe you have been exposed to asbestos in another workplace, contact us today for your FREE consultation regarding your rights via our toll-free number - 1-866-LOCKSLAW.