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Asbestos Litigation

Asbestos litigation is the longest-running mass tort litigation in U.S. history. Through 2002, approximately 730,000 individuals who had been exposed to asbestos have brought claims against some 8,400 business entities, and almost as many more future claims are likely. Defendants and insurers have spent a total of $70 billion on asbestos litigation through 2002, more than half of which was consumed by claimants’ and defendants’ litigation expenses. This monograph, the most comprehensive description to date of asbestos litigation, builds on previous RAND briefings, providing more detailed analyses and updating data to summer 2004. The authors report on what happened to those who have claimed injury from asbestos, what happened to the defendants in those cases, and how lawyers and judges have managed the cases, with an overall focus on how the litigation system has been performing in resolving asbestos claims.

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Document Details

Copyright: RAND Corporation
Availability: Available
Print Format: Paperback
Paperback Pages: 206
List Price: $20.00
Paperback Price: $16.00
Paperback ISBN/EAN: 0-8330-3078-7
Document Number: MG-162-ICJ
Year: 2005
Series: Monographs

Chapter One

Introduction
Chapter Two

Injuries from Asbestos Exposure
Chapter Three

Asbestos Litigation Dynamics
Chapter Four

Claimants and Defendants
Chapter Five

Costs and Compensation
Chapter Six

Bankruptcies
Chapter Seven

Implications for the Future
Appendix A

Comparison of Projections of Asbestos-Related Diseases
Appendix B

Estimated Cases of Mesothelioma in the United States, 1985-2009
Appendix C

Constructing the Jury Verdict Database
Appendix D

Major Asbestos Bankruptcies

The research described in this report was conducted by the RAND Institute for Civil Justice, a unit of the RAND Corporation.

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