Maritime Coverages Attorneys
San Francisco Maritime Coverages Lawyers Serving Clients Nationwide
Have Your Maritime Coverages Been Denied? We Can Help.
In precedent-setting asbestos litigation, the attorneys of Pillsbury & Coleman, LLP, in San Francisco, have established the right of maritime companies to collect “all sums” from any of the insurance companies that insured the firm during the period of asbestos exposure.
If your maritime firm is involved in asbestos litigation and is having difficulty collecting benefits under your current or former insurance policies, you need a member of our legal team looking out for your best interests.
MESOTHELIOMA/ASBESTOS LITIGATION
In recent years, litigation on behalf of people who developed the fatal disease mesothelioma from asbestos exposure has focused on shipping companies and other maritime businesses. From the 1950s to the 1990s, most boats and ships used many asbestos-containing materials and anyone working aboard ship was likely exposed to asbestos.
Unlike most injuries, which occur at a specific date and time, mesothelioma takes decades to develop. Many different insurance companies may have insured a maritime company during that time. Insurance companies insisted that each of them was only responsible for reimbursing a maritime company for a fraction of the total verdict or settlement.
Policyholders were left with the onerous and expensive task of collecting partial benefits from numerous insurance carriers.
ANY INSURER IS RESPONSIBLE FOR ALL SUMS
We reviewed the terms of protection and indemnity policies that were in effect during the period of exposure and discovered broad language clearly stating that policyholders get back all sums they pay out in liability claims.
If asbestos exposure occurred over 40 years, and a different company insured the firm each year, the insurance companies argued that each was responsible for only 1/40th of any verdict or settlement paid by a maritime company to a mesothelioma victim.
Our attorneys proved that any of the 40 insurance companies could be forced to pay all sums — the total amount of the verdict or settlement.
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To learn more about all sums coverage in California maritime mesothelioma cases, please call us at (415) 433-8000 or send us an email.