Attorney Referrals: Due Diligence on Personal Injury Referral Uncovers Mesothelioma Claim in Medical Records
Our firm was referred a potential PI claim from an out-of-state firm. Unfortunately, it was discovered during the course of our intake that the potential client was not a very good historian of his own health.
Based on our staff’s thorough intake, we were able to track down relevant diagnosis/treatment records, but also priors to screen for pre-existing conditions.
To our surprise, we discovered the client had been previously diagnosed with mesothelioma. When we confronted the client about whether he had any history of cancer, he generically advised he had been diagnosed with lung cancer. We questioned him about whether he had ever been diagnosed with mesothelioma and he indicated he had, but since he never worked around asbestos, he did not think there was anything he could do.
The client, who was a lifelong farmer, was surprised to know that farmers often encounter asbestos fibers in repairing older farm machinery, from working around older farm buildings built with asbestos construction materials, and from exposure to certain fertilizers.
Our firm is now actively pursuing a mesothelioma claim and expecting to bring additional value to the client and referring counsel.
