Treatment and related expenses
Financial recovery may help with medical costs, travel and other expenses connected with illness.
New York Mesothelioma Attorneys
Diagnosed With Mesothelioma?
We Can Help
Every story matters. Every detail matters.
We listen, investigate, and follow the evidence.
Why Legal Help May Matter
A diagnosis changes more than your medical care
Treatment, time away from work, travel and the needs of your family can create serious financial pressure. Depending on the facts, compensation may be available through litigation, asbestos bankruptcy trusts or other legal paths.
Income and family security
Legal claims may address lost earnings, other financial losses and the impact on a family.
Identifying responsible parties
A careful exposure investigation can help determine which companies or products may be legally relevant.
More than one possible path
Trust claims and lawsuits may require different evidence and must be considered together, based on the circumstances.
Compensation and eligibility depend on the facts, evidence, applicable law and claim requirements. No result is guaranteed.
Asbestos Bankruptcy Trusts
$30+ Billion in Asbestos Trusts
The U.S. Government Accountability Office reported that 60 asbestos bankruptcy trusts held about $36.8 billion in assets as of 2010. That figure provides historical scale; it is not a statement of current assets, claim value or individual eligibility. Trust finances, payment percentages and procedures change over time.
Bankruptcy trusts can be an important part of a mesothelioma claim. Strong submissions depend on the right exposure history and the documentation each trust requires — not just generic forms.
- —Specific products: identify product names and product families when the evidence supports them.
- —Site-specific proof: employers, units, buildings, contractors, dates and work details when available.
- —Coworker corroboration: witnesses may help confirm how and where work was performed.
- —Consistent claim development: trust claims and litigation positions should be developed carefully and accurately.
Why Knowledge Matters
The history behind an exposure can make the difference
A diagnosis tells us the disease, not the manufacturer, product or source. Someone may remember a job, a machine, a household routine or a product used decades ago without ever having known it contained asbestos. Our role is to investigate the history and test possible connections against the evidence.
Listening before assuming
We begin with employers, places, trades, equipment, coworkers, household routines and approximate dates—not a generic product list.
Reconstructing the timeline
We organize memories and examine records, historical catalogs, product literature, suppliers and jobsite evidence where relevant.
Following products and companies
The investigation may connect raw materials, manufacturers, distributors, equipment and workplaces across decades.
Developing reliable proof
Witnesses, records, testimony and historical sources may corroborate—or rule out—a possible exposure pathway.
The Knowledge Behind the Work
Mark G. Strauss, Founding Partner
Mark's background includes hundreds of asbestos depositions and federal litigation involving New York City powerhouses and the Brooklyn Navy Yard. His work has included historical product identification across trades, manufacturers and suppliers. That accumulated knowledge helps frame questions a person may not know to ask.
These career details are drawn from Mark's existing firm biography; they describe experience, not a promise of any case outcome.
Your information stays private. We do not sell client or prospective-client information to lead buyers. If another firm may help, we explain that relationship.
Where Would You Like to Begin?
Start with the question that matters to you
You do not have to understand everything today. Whether you are newly diagnosed, helping someone you love or trying to remember an exposure, there is a place to begin.
New Diagnosis
I was just diagnosed
Medical questions, practical next steps and what to remember.
Family & Loved Ones
I'm helping someone I love
Appointments, records and the family memories that may help.
Unknown Exposure
I don't know where the asbestos was
Jobs, places, tasks, products and household history can be investigated.
Personal Talc
I used cosmetic or personal talc
Personal talc may warrant a separate investigation even without an asbestos job history.
Military Service
I served in the military
Ships, bases, duties, equipment and time periods may help reconstruct exposure.
Household Exposure
Someone in my household worked around asbestos
Family work histories and ordinary household routines may matter.
More ways to start
Diagnosis, exposure and first questions
- Start With What You Remember
- New York mesothelioma lawyers & statewide resources →
- Diagnosis Understanding the diagnosis Start with what mesothelioma is, how it is diagnosed and questions to bring to your medical team.
- Treatment Treatment & specialists Explore treatment information and how to identify experienced mesothelioma specialists and centers.
- Exposure What if I do not know where I was exposed? Begin with jobs, places, tasks, products, household history or other details you remember.
- Legal Help What happens in a mesothelioma case? Understand the investigation, evidence gathering and legal process without assuming you already know the exposure source.
- Explore Mesothelioma Resources
- New York Legal Help
- No Perfect Memory Needed
- How the Interview Works
- What You Do Not Need
- “What does this diagnosis mean?” Disease, symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, specialists and questions for the next appointment.
- “How could the exposure have happened?” Occupational, household, military, building, talc and other possible pathways—without assuming the answer.
- “What is asbestos and where was it used?” The material, its historical uses, products, equipment and why product- and era-specific evidence matters.
- “I only remember one detail.” A job, place, machine, product, family member or year can be enough to begin following the history.
- New Diagnosis I was just diagnosed What to write down and how to begin an exposure history.
- No Known Exposure I don't know where the asbestos was Start with your work, household and product history instead.
- Personal Talc History I used personal or cosmetic talc A separate pathway for patients with little or no occupational asbestos history.
- Household Exposure Someone in my household worked around asbestos Take-home exposure can be investigated from family work history and household routines.
- Investigation How do you figure out what exposed me? See how we move from memories to products, jobsites and corroborating evidence.
- Product Identification I remember the work, but not the brand Tasks, equipment, packaging, suppliers and dates can still help narrow the product.
Investigation, work history and exposure pathways
The Knowledge Library
A simple front door. A deeper library when you need it
Explore occupations, industries, worksites, historical manufacturers, products, equipment and bankruptcy trusts. A remembered place, name, machine or approximate year may open a useful line of research.
Research Library
Explore the Living Library
Historical sources, products, trades and exposure relationships.
Workplaces & Geography
Asbestos Exposure Atlas
Explore possible connections among workplaces, locations and industries.
Occupations
Work and Trades
Investigate tasks and equipment associated with different occupations.
Products
Products and Equipment
Start with the components, materials and equipment you remember.
Bankruptcy Trusts
Trust Research Center
Understand the documentation and exposure evidence involved.
Search
Search the Website
Find a company, product, trade, worksite or topic by name.
Follow a more specific lead
Product and equipment guides
- Gaskets & Packing • Mesothelioma Gaskets, Packing & Sealing Materials Gaskets and packing were used in many industrial and mechanical systems. A useful exposure investigation looks at the equipment, maintenance task, replacement history, jobsite and time period rather than treating every gasket or packing material as the same.
- Brakes & Friction • Mesothelioma Brakes, Clutches & Friction Materials Brake and friction work can involve dust from removal, grinding, sanding, replacement or maintenance. The investigation should identify the machine or vehicle, component, manufacturer, workplace and era.
- Flooring & Adhesives • Mesothelioma Flooring, Mastics & Adhesives Flooring work may involve tile, sheet goods, backing, mastics, adhesives, leveling or patching materials, removal, scraping and sanding. The product history depends on the job, building and time period.
- Joint Compound & Drywall • Mesothelioma Joint Compound, Drywall & Finishing Materials Drywall and finishing work can involve mixing, applying, sanding, sweeping and cleanup. The investigation should follow the product, contractor, building, task and period of use.
- Pumps & Valves • Mesothelioma Pumps, Valves & Mechanical Equipment Pump and valve maintenance can involve packing, gaskets, insulation and nearby piping work. The useful details are the equipment manufacturer, service task, plant area and time period.
- Electrical Equipment • Mesothelioma Electrical Equipment & Heat-Resistant Components Electrical workers may remember switchgear, breakers, controls, wire, panels, motors or other equipment without knowing whether a particular insulating or arc-resistant component contained asbestos. We investigate the equipment and maintenance history.
Practical guides and the extended resource directory
- Choosing Counsel Questions to ask a mesothelioma lawyer Who investigates exposure, how trusts are handled, and whether co-counsel may be involved.
- Preparation Documents that may help Employment records, photographs, union or military records, and ordinary family documents.
- For Families How family members can help Timelines, photographs, names, work routines and household memories can help rebuild the history.
- Legal Paths Litigation and asbestos trusts A general explanation of possible legal paths without promising a particular result.
- Military Service Veterans and asbestos exposure Duty station, job duties, equipment and time period can help define a military exposure investigation.
- Checklist Build a work history A practical way to organize employers, jobsites, tasks, equipment and approximate years.
- First Call What happens when I call? What we ask and what you do not need to know yet.
- Work History What should I write down? A practical checklist for employers, jobsites, tasks, equipment and approximate years.
- Memory Who else may remember? Family members, coworkers and ordinary records can help rebuild details decades later.
- Explore the Living Library
- Exposure Atlas
- Search the Site
Open the Complete Guided Resource Directory
Additional resource links
Questions and Next Steps
You don't need perfect answers before the first conversation
Start with what you remember. If you're preparing to call, we can help you understand what is useful and what can wait.
Frequently Asked Questions
Questions people ask after a diagnosis
I was just diagnosed with mesothelioma. What should I do next?
First, focus on your medical care. When you are ready, begin writing down where you worked, approximately when, what kind of work you did, and who you worked with. You do not need to know the asbestos product names before calling us.
How do you prove how I was exposed to asbestos?
We begin with your work history and then investigate the products, manufacturers, jobsites and time periods that fit your work. Depending on the case, proof may come from documents, product literature, testimony, coworkers, records and other sources.
What if I don't remember the product names?
That is not unusual. A person may remember a machine, task, employer, building or trade but not the name printed on a product decades ago. Those memories can still give us a place to begin.
Can personal or cosmetic talc be investigated if I never worked around asbestos?
Yes. Personal talc is treated here as a separate exposure pathway. The investigation can begin with what product you remember, how you used it, approximately when, and for how long. You do not need an occupational asbestos history simply to ask us to investigate personal talc.
Do you handle mesothelioma cases?
Yes. Humpleby & Strauss represents people and families affected by mesothelioma and investigates possible asbestos exposure histories. The jurisdictions and firms involved in a particular matter depend on its facts.
Do you sell my information?
No. Humpleby & Strauss does not sell client or prospective-client information to lead buyers.
What does it cost to talk to you?
The initial consultation is free.
Additional consultation and contact information
Free Mesothelioma Consultation
Tell us what you remember. We can investigate from there
You do not have to solve the exposure history before speaking with a lawyer.
866-LAW-9110
We do not sell your information.