Inhalation of asbestos can cause a number of serious conditions, including asbestosis, mesothelioma, and other cancers. In the early 1980s, the RAND Institute for Civil Justice conducted the first study to examine the costs of and compensation paid for asbestos personal injury claims. RAND has since amassed a significant body of research on asbestos litigation and on the performance of the U.S. legal system in resolving asbestos claims.
Research conducted by:
RAND Institute for Civil Justice;
RAND Justice, Infrastructure, and Environment
Reports (7)
Asbestos bankruptcy trusts—created to compensate people injured by the mineral—may be influencing tort cases. The current way that the trusts and the tort cases are linked together may result in payments that are not consistent with the basic principles of the tort liability system.
While legislative and judicial reforms have made it increasingly difficult to obtain compensation for nonmalignant diseases in the tort system, the trust system remains a source of compensation for such injuries. This report describes the creation, organization, and operation of asbestos personal-injury trusts and compiles publicly available information on the assets, outlays, and governing boards of the 26 largest ones.
This report reviews the court proceedings that led to the uncovering of abusive diagnostic practices in silica litigation, then identifies ways in which similar practices could be uncovered or prevented in the future.
Presents the most comprehensive description to date of the longest-running mass tort litigation in U.S. history.
Examines the dimensions of current asbestos litigation and the potential future effects of the litigation on the U.S. economy
This briefing documents the first phase of a new study on asbestos litigation, now the longest-running mass tort litigation in U.S. history.
Summarizes the scope of asbestos litigation in the United States, the response of the civil justice system to date, and the obstacles to efficient and equitable resolution of asbestos-related personal injury claims.
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