There is no fixed or typical compensation amount for mesothelioma lawsuits. Compensation amounts vary widely based on several factors:
• Severity of the Disease: More advanced or aggressive mesothelioma cases typically receive higher compensation amounts due to the higher medical costs, lost wages, and pain and suffering involved.
• Lost Wages: The plaintiff’s current and future lost income due to being unable to work during treatment and after developing mesothelioma is factored into compensation amounts. Higher-income individuals may receive higher compensation for lost wages.
• Medical Bills: The plaintiff’s past and future medical costs, including costs for treatments, hospital stays, medications, procedures, hospice care, etc. are included in compensation. Individuals with higher medical costs receive higher compensation to cover those bills.
• Punitive Damages: In some cases, if a company is found to have acted with willful misconduct or negligence, punitive damages may be awarded in addition to economic and noneconomic damages. These punitive damages do not have a defined limit.
• Noneconomic Damages: Compensation is also provided for pain and suffering, mental anguish, loss of enjoyment of life, and other noneconomic damages. These amounts can be substantial but are difficult to precisely define.
Some examples of mesothelioma compensation amounts:
- $200,000 to $1 million: Common range for settlements, though on the lower end
- $2 million to $5 million: More typical of trial verdicts
- $10 million to $30 million: Higher end verdicts involving punitive damages
So while there is no “typical” amount, most mesothelioma compensation cases fall in the range of $500,000 to $5 million, with higher verdicts reaching into the tens of millions of dollars in some cases. The specific facts of each individual case and the circumstances of a plaintiff’s asbestos exposure and disease determine the final compensation amount.
