Group Picture of the Law Offices of Jeffrey S. Glassman
Justia Lawyer Rating

by

Much like many old buildings across the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, the Plymouth courthouse was built in the 1800s with asbestos-laden materials. The building has sat vacant for years with boarded-up windows while town officials tried to come up with a plan or a buyer willing to deal with the expensive asbestos abatement process.

caulky-271719-m.jpgAccording to a recent news article from WATD, officials desire to raze the old building and replace it with a new town hall government complex. The town will also tear down the old Department of Public Works building and Commissioners building, which are in the same vicinity as the courthouse.
Continue reading

by

asbestos-119041-m-1.jpgAsbestos is a naturally occurring substance that has been used for thousands of years by humans due to its natural abilities to resist heat, fire, dangerous chemicals, and electricity. However, it was not until the industrial revolution in the United States and Western Europe that asbestos was heavily mined and used in virtually every aspect of construction and production.
Continue reading

by

Asbestos removal, or asbestos abatement as it is known in the industry, is an expensive process that requires professional inspections and certified contractors. Asbestos abatement also requires permits and a well-trained crew that is provided with proper safety equipment, including protective clothing and respirators or ventilators.

hand-cuffs-12754-m.jpgSome property owners who are renovating or demolishing a building choose to ignore the law and remove the asbestos in an illegal and dangerous manner. This is dangerous to the workers and the community at large, as asbestos dust is known to cause deadly forms of cancer such as mesothelioma, asbestosis, lung cancer, and other respiratory illnesses. According to a recent news article from the Detroit Free Press, federal authorities are increasing efforts to curb illegal asbestos removal and disposal.

The article discusses how workers in a now-closed automotive plant showed up without proper training of safety equipment to remove asbestos. The building was dark, as there were no working lights. Workers would use scissor lifts and cut off sheets of asbestos-laden pipe insulation as their supervisors yelled, “let ‘er rip.” By the end of each day of work, these untrained workers were covered with asbestos dust.
Continue reading

by

Malignant mesothelioma is a rare form of cancer that is almost always associated with exposure to asbestos. When asbestos fibers are inhaled, they can become embedded in the lungs and other tissue known as the mesothelium. There is no way for doctors to see if the microscopic fibers are present without cutting a portion of the patient’s tissues and sending it to a pathology lab. There are also no symptoms for the first 20 to 50 years following exposure in most cases. While occasionally a tumor is found during an unrelated surgery, most patients do not find out until the disease is in a very advanced stage. Once an asbestos-related illness diagnosis is made, the patient is usually close to dying.
Continue reading

by

Proving when and where asbestos exposure occurred is often a critical element in mesothelioma injury lawsuits. According to a recent news article from the Louisiana Record, the state court of appeals has vacated a dismissal of an asbestosis lawsuit, holding that jury could find five days of asbestos exposure was sufficient to cause the deadly form of cancer.

flip-calendar-1-1281977-m.jpgThe court opinion filed on December 10, 2014 involved a plaintiff who alleged he contracted asbestosis while working at various jobs between 1953 and 2006. One of his jobs was working as a pipefitter at a factory for five days. While on that job, he installed and removed asbestos-laden gaskets. In this case, plaintiff and his wife alleged asbestos exposure during this five-day period was a substantial contributing factor to his developing asbestosis. His other responsibilities during that short timeframe involved cleaning up asbestos debris from other workers at the factory.

Plaintiff’s expert testified at trial this five-day exposure was likely above what we currently know to be safe occupational limits of asbestos exposure, and he opined this would have been a significant contributing factor in plaintiff’s illness.
Continue reading

by

Throughout the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, cities and towns are faced with problems related to unsafe long-abandoned buildings than need to be demolished but can’t be, due to the presence of highly-toxic asbestos.

vintage-hotel-1380443-m.jpgAccording to a recent news article from WGCB, officials in Holyoke, Massachusetts are faced with this very problem with respect to the Essex House. The Essex house was built in 1880, and was among Paper City’s largest and most luxurious hotels. Now it is a crumbling, dangerous shell of its former glory, and the town wants it gone.
Continue reading

by

Around this time of year, it is almost impossible to log onto Facebook without seeing pictures of your friend’s Christmas trees and other holiday decorations. While many have boxes full of treasured ornaments that have been in the family for decades, the Telegraph warns that many of these antique ornaments may contain asbestos and may pose a serious health risk.

christmas-ornament-1373026-m.jpgAccording to the news article, many vintage ornaments could be laced with toxic material. In fact, in the 1940s, the fake snow dusted on many of these ornaments was commonly made from pure asbestos.

Unfortunately, there is no way to tell if the material contains asbestos without expensive materials testing at a laboratory. Since most people are not willing to send their ornaments to a laboratory for asbestos testing, in England authorities are recommending any vintage ornaments containing fake snow should be thrown away. This, of course, raises the issue of safe asbestos disposal, but given it the alternative, it seems better than having asbestos on your family Christmas tree.
Continue reading

by

The town of Billerica, located just north of Boston, is home to one of two Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Superfund sites located in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. This site, now known as Iron Horse Park and once known as the Billerica Repair Shops, was once a major repair facility for the Boston and Maine Railroad. The Billerica Repair Shops were built in 1913. Employees of the repair facility built a small neighborhood along the railroad line that was known as Garden City.

wheel-1175115-m.jpgAccording to a recent news article in the Lowell Sun, this area also contained a landfill that was a frequent dumping site for asbestos material used in the repair facility and surrounding industrial park. The site became so contaminated it was believed it would not be usable for decades. In the 1980s, the EPA made Iron Horse Park a Superfund and set about removing the asbestos and capping the landfill. Capping a landfill involves adding layers of gravel, stone, and topsoil in an effort to prevent asbestos dust, which can lead to inhalation of the deadly fibers.
Continue reading

by

According to a recent case before the California Court of Appeal, defendant purchased an asbestos mine in Coalinga, California in the early 1960s. From the time of purchase until 1985, defendant supplied asbestos to companies that used it for products to be sold to the construction industry.

stucco-632858-m.jpgPlaintiff was the owner of a construction company that built over 200 homes between the early 1960s and the mid-1980s. Plaintiff never personally worked as a builder or foreman on any of the home construction projects. He did, however, walk through the various construction sites on a regular basis. Each home was constructed with drywall that workers finished with premixed joint compound. After applying joint compound and allowing it to dry, workers then sanded it several times. Plaintiff was often present during the sanding process.
Continue reading

by

Not only is mesothelioma deadly, there is also no effective means to control or cure the disease, as there are with some forms of cancer. If it were not for exposure to asbestos, malignant mesothelioma would rarely occur.

dna-1-1010760-m.jpgA recent article from Fox News looks at efforts by scientists to learn how mesothelioma forms and what can be done to treat the disease more effectively. One major difference discovered between mesothelioma and other forms of cancer is mesothelioma is likely caused by mutations in more than one cell.

Most forms of cancer are considered monoclonal, that is they are caused from mutations within a single cell. In making this finding, scientists used a method called HUMARA to trace cells from female embryos. The studied involved taking a serious of samples from 14 mesothelioma tumors removed from female mesothelioma patients. Through a change involving the deactivation of one x chromosome, researchers were able to make this link.
Continue reading

Contact Information
Boston Office
1 International Pl Unit 1810
Boston, MA 02110
Phone: (617) 777-7777Fax: (617) 722-9999
Taunton Office
60 Court St
Taunton, MA 02780
By Appointment Only
Quincy Office
308 Victory Rd
Quincy, MA 02171
By Appointment Only

Worcester Office
43 Harvard St
Worcester, MA 01609
By Appointment Only
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.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Please do not include any confidential or sensitive information in a contact form, text message, or voicemail. The contact form sends information by non-encrypted email, which is not secure. Submitting a contact form, sending a text message, making a phone call, or leaving a voicemail does not create an attorney-client relationship.

Copyright © 2026, Jeffrey Glassman Injury Lawyers
JUSTIA Law Firm Blog Design