In the United States,
the average mesothelioma-related settlement
was $1 million; for cases that go to trial awards
averaged $6 million, according to a study by the
RAND Corporation. Only a small fraction of the
thousands of asbestos-related lawsuits in the
United States every year are related to
mesothelioma.
In 2004, a bill in the United States Senate aimed a
asbestos litigation reform failed to reach a floor
vote. In January of 2005, Senate Judiciary Committee
Chairman Arlen Specter announced he would again try
to pass an asbestos litigation reform bill.
A separate bill introduced on March 17, 2005, the
Fairness in Asbestos Injury Resolution Act of 2005
(FAIR act of 2005), seeks to ensure a set amount of
compensation dependent on the symptoms of the
victim. The range is from Medical Monitoring for
victims with Asbestosis or Pleural Disease to
$35,000 for victims with Mixed Disease With
Impairment all the way to over $1,000,000 for
Mesothelioma victims and nonsmoking Lung Cancer
victims. FAIR act of 2005, full text. FAIR act of
2005, full text. URL accessed on April 13, 2005.
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