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how long did your settlement actually take from diagnosis to getting the money

Patient · · 3,556 views
So I'm trying to get realistic expectations here. Diagnosed November 2025 with peritoneal meso, Stage II. I've got documentation from my time at the Johns-Manville plant in Cleveland from 1978 to 1985, so exposure is pretty clear cut. My oncologist wants to move forward with HIPEC surgery in January but I'm also looking at legal options because honestly I need to know the timeline.

I've read some stuff online that says settlements can take anywhere from months to years but that's so vague it's useless. I'm keeping a detailed symptom journal anyway so I'm used to tracking specifics. What I really want to know is: from the time you actually filed, how long until money was in your account? And does it matter if you're stage II versus stage III? I assume it does.

Also trying to figure out if I should wait to start certain treatments or if that affects the timeline. I know some of you have already been through this process and I'd rather hear what actually happened than read generic articles.

Anybody willing to share their actual timeline?

9 Replies

Patient
I'm in pretty much your exact situation, diagnosed same month with peritoneal stage II and also worked at Johns-Manville back in the day. Haven't filed yet myself because I'm focused on the HIPEC surgery first, but from what I've gathered talking to others the timeline really depends on whether it's a settlement versus a trust claim, and unfortunately stage doesn't seem to speed things up much either way.
Attorney ✓ Expert Response
Good questions, and the fact that you're already thinking about documentation this early puts you ahead of most people I've worked with.

On timeline, the honest range in asbestos cases I've handled is roughly 12 to 36 months from filing to resolution, but Johns-Manville is a specific situation worth mentioning. The Manville Personal Injury Settlement Trust was established under 11 U.S.C. section 524(g) after the bankruptcy proceedings concluded, and trust claims can sometimes move faster than traditional litigation because you're not waiting on a trial date. I've seen trust payments process in under a year when documentation was clean. Your 1978 to 1985 employment records are exactly what those trustees want to see.

Stage does matter, though maybe not the way you'd expect. Courts in many jurisdictions have what's called an "expedited docket" for mesothelioma cases, and a Stage II diagnosis with HIPEC scheduled for January could qualify for preferential scheduling. That's something to ask about specifically.

On your question about whether to delay treatment, please do not do that. I've seen people wait on procedures thinking it somehow strengthens their case. It doesn't. Your medical records from the HIPEC and everything after actually become part of the damages documentation. Get the surgery.

Your symptom journal is smart. Keep noting dates, specific limitations, things you can no longer do that you used to. Those details matter more than people realize when economic and non-economic damages get calculated.

Consult an attorney for your specific situation, ideally one with trust claim experience specifically.
3 found this helpful
Patient
I appreciate you jumping in here. So when you say 12 to 36 months for resolution, does that account for someone who's already Stage II and might need surgery soon? I'm trying to understand if pursuing the trust claim now would delay my treatment timeline or if those can run parallel. And you mentioned Johns-Manville specifically being faster through the trust - do you have a sense of where most of your cases landed in that range, or does it really depend case by case? I've got pretty solid documentation so I'm hoping that helps.
Patient
Same exposure window as me, and honestly the timeline stuff is all over the place depending on whether you settle or go to trial. I'd say get your surgery scheduled and don't let the legal side delay your treatment because your health comes first, then talk to someone about the paperwork part once you've got a clearer picture of how you're responding to HIPEC.
Veteran
Diagnosed June, pleurectomy in August so I'm still pretty fresh to this myself. Can't speak to settlements yet, mine's still in the works, but I can tell you what I've learned so far.

The stage thing matters less than your documentation. You've got Johns-Manville from 78 to 85, that's solid. My exposure was Navy shipboard asbestos work, 1971 to 1991 on the Oriskany, and the legal folks said having those dates locked down cuts months off the process because there's no guessing game. Your plant records are gold.

Don't wait on treatment for the legal side. That's what my oncologist told me straight up at the VA hospital here in Norfolk. HIPEC in January, go ahead with it. The timeline on settlements doesn't speed up if you delay surgery and honestly you need to be treating the disease anyway. Waiting doesn't buy you anything except maybe worse staging. My pleurectomy was necessary and the legal team said it actually strengthens the case because it shows you took the diagnosis seriously and did what doctors ordered.

As for actual money timelines, I don't have that answer yet but the attorney I'm working with said 6 months to 2 years depending on whether it's a trust claim versus litigation. Trust claims move faster, maybe 4 to 8 months. Litigation takes longer. Couldn't tell you which way mine will go at this point. Haven't seen a dime yet but that's normal at 0700 in the process.

Keep that symptom journal, that helps. And get copies of everything from Johns-Manville if you haven't already. The more documentation you feed the legal team upfront, the less back and forth happens later.
Patient
That's really helpful to know about the documentation piece. I've been worried that stage II might put me in a weaker position but sounds like you're saying the actual proof of exposure is what matters most. Did your legal team give you any kind of timeline estimate once they verified your naval service records, or was it still pretty open-ended at that point? I'm trying to figure out if I should push for answers before I go into surgery in January or if that's just going to stress me out for no reason.
Veteran
Settlement timelines vary wildly depending on whether you go trust fund route or litigation, but I'd say don't wait on treatment for the sake of a case. Stage and documentation matter more than the timeline itself for what you'll end up with.
Patient
Yeah, I appreciate that reality check. The trust fund versus litigation thing is what I'm still trying to wrap my head around, honestly. Did you go the trust fund route, and if so, how much of the process was just waiting versus actually submitting stuff? I'm asking because my documentation is solid but I'm trying to figure out if that speeds things up or if it doesn't really matter once you're in the queue.
Veteran
Don't let the legal stuff push back your HIPEC, L. Got my pleurectomy done before mine was even filed and that was the right call. Surgery first, paperwork second.

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