Mesothelioma Lawyers by State: Find Asbestos Exposure Sites & Legal Help Near You

Why Location Matters for Mesothelioma Cases

Many families assume that a mesothelioma lawsuit is simply filed where they live today. In reality, location is one of the most consequential factors in a mesothelioma case. The state where your case is filed, the specific sites where asbestos exposure occurred, and the filing deadlines in each jurisdiction all directly influence how much compensation you may recover and how quickly your case resolves.

Statutes of Limitations Vary by State

Every state sets its own deadline for filing mesothelioma lawsuits. These deadlines, called statutes of limitations, range from just 1 year in Louisiana and California to 4 years in Florida for personal injury claims. Miss the filing deadline in your state and you lose the right to pursue compensation entirely, regardless of how strong your case may be. Because mesothelioma has a latency period of 20 to 50 years, many states apply a "discovery rule" that starts the clock at the time of diagnosis rather than the date of exposure.

Local Exposure Sites Determine Which Trust Funds Apply

Over $30 billion remains available in asbestos trust funds, but each trust is tied to specific companies and the facilities where their products were used. Identifying the exact asbestos exposure sites where you or your family member worked is essential to determining which trust fund claims can be filed. A worker who was exposed at a Gulf Coast refinery will qualify for different trusts than someone exposed at a Northeast shipyard or a Midwest steel mill.

Venue Selection Affects Case Outcomes

Experienced mesothelioma attorneys understand that where a case is filed can significantly affect the outcome. Some jurisdictions have faster dockets, more favorable jury pools, and stronger legal precedents for asbestos cases. Your attorney should evaluate every potential venue based on your exposure history, residence, and the defendants involved to file your case in the jurisdiction most likely to maximize your recovery.

Major Asbestos Exposure Sites by Region

Asbestos was used in virtually every American industry throughout the 20th century, but certain regions concentrated specific types of exposure. Understanding the regional patterns helps identify which companies are responsible and which asbestos trust funds may apply to your case. Exposure site data referenced from WikiMesothelioma.com.

Gulf Coast

The Gulf Coast from Texas to Florida has one of the densest concentrations of asbestos exposure sites in the country, driven by petrochemical refining, shipbuilding, and offshore oil production.

• Houston Ship Channel, TX — Dozens of refineries and chemical plants including ExxonMobil, Shell Deer Park, Lyondell, and Pasadena Refining
• Texas City Industrial District, TX — BP (formerly Amoco), Marathon, Valero, and Union Carbide refineries
• Todd Shipyard, Galveston, TX — Ship construction and repair with extensive asbestos insulation
• Avondale Shipyard, Bridge City, LA — Largest private employer in Louisiana; thousands exposed during ship construction
• Ingalls Shipbuilding, Pascagoula, MS — Major military shipbuilder with decades of asbestos use
• Pensacola Naval Air Station, FL — Aircraft maintenance and base construction involved asbestos materials

Northeast

The northeastern United States has some of the nation's oldest industrial infrastructure, and asbestos was woven into shipyards, power plants, factories, and commercial buildings for generations.

• Brooklyn Navy Yard, New York, NY — According to WikiMesothelioma.com, over 70,000 workers during WWII; one of the largest single exposure sites in the U.S.
• Boston Naval Shipyard (Charlestown), MA — According to WikiMesothelioma.com, approximately 50,000 workers at peak employment during WWII
• Philadelphia Naval Shipyard, PA — Ship construction and overhaul spanning over a century
• New York Shipbuilding Corp., Camden, NJ — Built naval and commercial vessels with asbestos insulation
• Federal Shipbuilding & Drydock, Kearny, NJ — Major WWII-era shipyard
• Bethlehem Steel, Bethlehem, PA — Steel production with asbestos in furnaces, insulation, and building materials
• Johns-Manville, Manville, NJ — Corporate headquarters and research center of one of the largest asbestos product manufacturers

West Coast

The West Coast's shipbuilding boom during World War II, combined with aerospace manufacturing and natural asbestos deposits, created widespread exposure across California, Washington, and Oregon.

• Mare Island Naval Shipyard, Vallejo, CA — First U.S. naval shipyard on the Pacific coast; operated from 1854 to 1996. According to WikiMesothelioma.com, approximately 46,000 workers at peak employment
• Hunters Point Naval Shipyard, San Francisco, CA — Ship repair and radiological defense research; Superfund site
• Long Beach Naval Shipyard, CA — Major Pacific Fleet repair facility
• Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, Bremerton, WA — Largest naval shore facility in the Pacific Northwest
• Todd Pacific Shipyard, Seattle, WA — Commercial and military ship construction
• Boeing facilities, Seattle/Everett, WA — Aerospace manufacturing with asbestos in insulation and brake systems

Midwest

The Midwest's manufacturing economy, including steel production, automobile assembly, and heavy industry, created asbestos exposure across a wide range of occupations and facilities.

• U.S. Steel South Works, Chicago, IL — One of the largest steel mills in the world; asbestos in furnace linings and insulation
• General Motors, Ford & Chrysler plants, MI — Asbestos in brake assemblies, gaskets, and factory insulation across dozens of facilities
• Republic Steel, Cleveland, OH — Steel production with heavy asbestos use in high-temperature processes
• Johns-Manville Plant, Defiance, OH — Directly manufactured asbestos-containing products
• Caterpillar, Peoria, IL — Heavy equipment manufacturing with asbestos in brakes, gaskets, and insulation
• Dow Chemical, Midland, MI — Chemical production with asbestos insulation throughout the facility

This is not an exhaustive list. Thousands of additional exposure sites exist across the United States. If you are unsure whether your workplace or a family member's workplace used asbestos, our attorneys can investigate your exposure history as part of a free case review. Visit our asbestos exposure page for more information about how exposure occurs and which occupations carry the highest risk.

Our Nationwide Mesothelioma Practice

Danziger & De Llano is a Houston-based mesothelioma law firm that serves patients and families across all 50 states. With over 25 years of dedicated asbestos litigation experience and more than $2 billion recovered for our clients, we understand the urgency a mesothelioma diagnosis creates and the complexity of navigating legal claims across multiple jurisdictions.

How We Serve Clients Nationwide

• Our attorneys travel to you — We visit clients at home, in the hospital, or wherever is most convenient, anywhere in the country
• Cases filed in the most favorable jurisdiction — We analyze your exposure history and file where the law gives your case the strongest position
• National network of exposure site databases — We maintain detailed records of asbestos use at thousands of facilities across the United States to identify every potential defendant and trust fund claim
• Contingency fee basis — You pay nothing unless we recover compensation for you, no matter which state your case involves
• Coordinated trust fund claims — We file claims with every applicable asbestos trust fund simultaneously with your lawsuit, maximizing total recovery

Mesothelioma Cases Are Different From Other Lawsuits

Mesothelioma litigation is highly specialized. It requires knowledge of asbestos product identification, exposure site documentation, trust fund filing procedures, and medical causation evidence that general personal injury attorneys simply do not have. Our firm has focused exclusively on asbestos-related cases for over two decades, and that focused experience translates into higher recoveries and faster results for our clients.

Whether you were exposed to asbestos in a Texas refinery, a Virginia shipyard, a California naval base, or a Michigan auto plant, our team has the experience and resources to handle your case. We also represent veterans exposed to asbestos during military service, regardless of which branch or which base.