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While the Green Line trolleys on the MBTA system are relatively knew and mostly made in Europe, those who ride the trolley between Mattapan Square and Ashmont still ride the vintage Presidential Conference Cars. These are the old trolley cars painted orange and off-white that one would expect to be sitting in a transit museum instead of out on the tracks.

roadtonowhereThere are variety of reasons the trolley cars are still in use, but a lot of that goes to their being a piece of living history for residents and the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) system in general. As it turns out, according to a recent news feature in the Dorchester Record, the fleet consists of ten trolley cars, and, of those, only six are usually in operating condition at any given time. These cars, which MTBA workers have nicknamed Mattapan Rattlers, are not easy to keep running, and lot of the problem has to do with getting parts. Continue reading

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Malignant pleural mesothelioma is a rare and deadly form of cancer almost exclusively caused by exposure to asbestos, and it occurs in a layer of tissue lining the lungs known as the mesothelium. If the cancer occurs in the tissue lining the chest cavity, it is know as malignant pericardial mesothelioma, and if it occurs in stomach it is know as malignant peritoneal mesothelioma. However, it should be noted that all forms of malignant mesothelioma are very aggressive and can spread rapidly to other parts of the body, regardless of where the tumors initially form.

syringe-1238929-mWhen a person first comes in contact with deadly asbestos fibers, they can become trapped in that layer of tissue known as the mesothelioma and eventually metastasize into malignant mesothelioma. This process can occur quickly, but in the vast majority of cases, it takes between 20 and 50 years for a patient to become detectably sick. Once this occurs, and the patient has noticeable symptoms, he or she is usually told there is only short time left to live. While there is no cure, there are drugs that can help extend this time period. Continue reading

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A recent news feature from The Harvard Crimson explains how asbestos was recently detected in an undergraduate dormitory known as Winthrop House and has caused at least one student to have to move out of his room and relocate to another dorm room.

warning-icon-45-1023139-mThe problems began last year when the student returned to his dorm room and found that a large piece of plaster form the ceiling above his closet had fallen and covered his clothing in dust during the process. This student contacted the residence hall staff, and a repair worker was dispatched to his room. When the worker arrived, he was concerned about asbestos and had a sample of the plaster tested at a materials lab. The lab confirmed the existence of asbestos. Continue reading

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Many buildings in Boston, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and the rest of the United States were built during an era when asbestos was used in virtually every aspect of production. While the asbestos was very dangerous to those who manufactured the products and to the workers who installed them, residents and occupants of the building are usually not at risk.

vermiculiteThe reason for this is because asbestos is only dangerous when it is inhaled, and, if there is asbestos in the walls, for example, there is not much risk of inhaling the deadly fibers. However, if the fibers are disturbed, the asbestos can become friable, which means that it is capable of being crushed by the pressure of the human hand. Once this happens, it becomes very dangerous. Asbestos can become disturbed by neglect that allows a building to crumble, and it can be disturbed in the process of conducting renovations or demolition. Continue reading

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Palmer v. 999 Quebec, Inc, a case from the Supreme Court of North Dakota, involved a plaintiff who was born in 1955 and was raised in Duluth, Minnesota. He was diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma in 2011. He died four years later in 2015.

shotKuettel, a predecessor in interest to the named defendant, supplied and installed insulation that contained large amounts of asbestos. Plaintiff’s father worked for this company for several years in the 1960s and 1970s when plaintiff was a child. Plaintiff alleged that he was routinely exposed to deadly asbestos fibers when his father would come home from work still covered with dust from the asbestos insulation products he was installing at commercial sites. Continue reading

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Asbestos is a naturally occurring substance that humans have used for thousands of years, but it was not until the mid to late 1800s when asbestos began to be heavily mined and used in most every aspect of production. While the companies were well aware of the dangers of asbestos and even to steps to hide this fact, the general public did not know the full dangers of the hazardous material until the late 1970s and early 1980s.

navyshipRemarkably, those producing asbestos knew exactly how dangerous it was from the beginning. Amazingly, as asbestos was used for thousands of years, researchers have found ancient texts that translate into warnings about how the substance was making people sick after they came in contact with it. Now that everyone knows the dangers of inhaling asbestos fibers, we would all hope that malignant mesothelioma was a thing of the past, however according to a recent news report from U.S. News and World Report, the dangers of asbestos are “still lurking.” Continue reading

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According to a recent article in the Madison County Record, a couple is suing various defendants in connection with the husband’s exposure to deadly asbestos fibers and subsequent illness. The couple has named over 20 companies as defendants in the asbestos lawsuit.

workonatrainIn the plaintiffs’ complaint, they alleged husband became exposed to asbestos between 1962 and 1999, which constituted his working years. During this time, he worked as an auto mechanic and a pattern maker. In both occupations during that time, workers would regularly come in contact with deadly asbestos fibers. Continue reading

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If a person is exposed to deadly asbestos fibers, it normally takes between 20 and 50 years for the victim to know they have cancer. Once the cancer has reached a certain level, it will cause the victim to have chest or abdominal pain, in most cases, and cause shortness of breath. Many patents may think they are having a heart attack or some other type of illness and go to the doctor. Once the doctor confirms the patient has mesothelioma, which is easy to do when a lung biopsy is taken and sent to a lab, the patient will usually be told he or she has between six months and two years left to live, depending on how advanced the cancer has become.

surgeon-3-391477-mThis does not mean there are no treatments that can be performed for mesothelioma, but it would hard to consider any of the options anything close to what might be called a cure for malignant mesothelioma. All of the treatments are radical and invasive. Some involve high doses of chemotherapy or radiation, or more likely a combination of both. Many treatments involve major surgery to remove the tumors, along with all or part of the organ to which the tumors are attached. Continue reading

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The United States House of Representatives has recently passed a tort reform bill that included another bill specifically designed to make it harder for victims of mesothelioma to sue the companies that negligently or intentionally exposed them to deadly asbestos fibers. This bill is called the Fair Asbestos Claims Transparency (FACT) Act. One of the major provisions would require the cases to go through a review to make sure all plaintiffs are similarly situated. This change to the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure (FRCP) is above and beyond the class action requirement already in place.

tosignacontractAccording to a recent news article from Business Insurance, even if the bill should pass in the United States Senate, and many question whether that will happen, it is likely that President Barack Obama would veto the bill should he have the opportunity. Continue reading

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Over the past year, GOP members of the United States House of Representatives have been working on their latest tort reform plan. This plan is officially called the Fairness in Class Action Litigation Act (H.R. 1927), and includes a specialty piece of legislation known as the Furthering Asbestos Claims Transparency (FACT) Act.

u-s--capitol-building-918333-mAccording to a recent news article from Bloomberg, the House has just passed the FACT act, H.R. 1927, and now it will be sent the United States Senate to see if can pass and make its way to the president’s desk to be signed or vetoed. Many think it will never make its way through the Senate, because even though there the Republicans control like the House, there are not enough total members to pass the bill. Continue reading

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1 International Pl Unit 1810
Boston, MA 02110
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60 Court St
Taunton, MA 02780
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Quincy, MA 02171
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Worcester, MA 01609
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Disclaimer – The settlements above are only a sample of cases represented by our office. Each case is different and the amount of a potential resolution of your case will vary considerably depending on a substantial amount of factors. Some case results were worked in conjunction with partnering law firms.

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