Mesothelioma Lawsuit

Latanyta Manuel (00:01):
Mesothelioma took my husband, the father of my children, and he was only 44 years old.

Bob Guinn (00:14):
My name is Bob. I'm 53 years old, and I have mesothelioma.

Dennis Ray (00:18):
And they said, "The results from the biopsy are you have mesothelioma. You've been around asbestos."

Julie Gundlach (00:27):
I was told that I had a very deadly cancer, that I should go home, put my affairs in order.

Walter Twidwell (00:33):
They said, “Do you have all your paperwork in order?” And I said, "Yes I do." And he said, "Well, keep it there."

Bob Guinn (00:38):
I used to be this big strong guy and tough guy, and nothing bothered me, and now I'm less than that.

Forrest Wulf (00:46):
It was devastating when they told me I had it — for me and my family.

Latanyta Manuel (00:53):
Companies knew it was deadly, but they used it anyway.

Julie Gundlach (00:58):
I think initially my reaction was disbelief at the way companies continued to use asbestos after they knew that it was deadly.

Walter Twidwell (01:08):
When I got told they knew many years prior what it would do to a human being, I got mad. I said, "Well, to heck with this noise, they're going to hear from me."

Bob Guinn (01:22):
They knew they were making people sick with the products they were producing and they didn't give a...

Walter Twidwell (01:29):
I didn't want to sue my government, and I damn sure didn't want to sue the Navy, because they’re still feeding me.

Forrest Wulf (01:38):
When I found out, people told me to go see a lawyer and file a lawsuit.

Julie Gundlach (01:44):
I first contacted an attorney on the advice of my physician, and it seemed initially like something I didn't want to do. It just goes against my nature.

Bob Guinn (01:57):
I've never filed a lawsuit before in my life.

Dennis Ray (02:01):
Number one, I didn't think I'd ever get mesothelioma. I knew there was asbestos in it, but I didn't know it was harmful. I didn't know it would cause cancer.

Forrest Wulf (02:10):
I hope it sends a message to them, because they're killing us is what they're doing.

Bob Guinn (02:18):
It was all about the mighty dollar. They didn't care what happened to people and their families.

Julie Gundlach (02:23):
My biggest fear was my daughter would grow up and not remember her mother.

Perry Browder (00:01):
My name is Perry Browder, I'm the manager of the asbestos department.

Perry Browder (00:04):
I grew up in Skokie Morton Grove, which is a suburb of Chicago, up in Northern Illinois. I decided to be a lawyer because I really liked history and I liked the fight.

Perry Browder (00:17):
When John Simmons talked to me about the type of work I liked and gave me the opportunity, I jumped at it. In our day to day activities we include working on mesothelioma cases and some lung cancer cases. And we have over a hundred people dedicated to working on mesothelioma and asbestos cases: attorneys, paralegals, legal assistants, medical staff, bankruptcy staff. We have our experts working on Navy cases, steel mills, all the way to professions in the printing industry. So, it's a team approach from intake to conclusion and closing the case.

Perry Browder (00:55):
When I started working with families and people that were sick, it was an eye opener because I had seen these people in courtroom settings and in depositions, but was never spending time in their home listening to their story. Once you started to listen to their story, you realize these are people that just took an average day of work, tried to work hard, provide for their family and had been poisoned. And being in their living room, listening to their story, really makes one want to be able to go out there and protect them no different than if they were your own family members.

Perry Browder (01:30):
The attorneys that we have here are the hardest working attorneys around. And they do what's best for the family, keeping in mind that they still need to get the results so that the family has financial recovery.

Perry Browder (01:43):
When somebody files a lawsuit, you're up against some of the largest companies in the world. We have to match those large corporations. That's the beauty of having a jury system in a courtroom, that people can get their day in court, whether it's an individual or corporation.

Perry Browder (01:59):
Roby Whittington was an African-American that worked hard up in Gary, Indiana that provided for his family and put in an honest day's work. US Steel, on the other hand, treated him as if he was a resource, no different than coal or iron. They poisoned this individual. People to this day are still getting sick and dying from mesothelioma because of exposures they've had 30, 40, and 50 years ago. And, it's important for us to follow where the people were exposed so that we can maximize recovery and get the right defendant that caused this injury. When they see a verdict against US Steel for $250 million, that gets people's attention.

Perry Browder (02:42):
It starts at day one when we meet the client and we sign the contract. We have people that go out and do the initial introduction to make the family comfortable. My family is the most important thing to me. I have a wife, two girls, and a boy, and I know what it would be like if something were to happen to me and how they would be affected. So, when we are meeting with clients, we take that into account and treat them as if they're family. I think that goes from John Simmons, the leadership, all the way through the receptionist when you first walk in our building and you're welcomed to the firm.