California Mesothelioma Lawyers Describe Asbestos Lawsuits, The Manner in Which Those Contracting Mesothelioma Likely Were Exposed to Asbestos, and How Mesothelioma Attorneys Can Be Certain That the Disease Resulted From Exposure to Asbestos.

By Ray Henke, Senior Trial Lawyer,
California Mesothelioma Lawyers

Our California mesothelioma lawyers can initially consider a potential mesothelioma lawsuit on the basis of the diagnosis alone, just because mesothelioma is a rare disease occurring almost never in the absence of asbestos exposure. Our mesothelioma attorneys can be almost certain that in any particular individual case we will be able to identify the source of the asbestos exposure, which will often have taken place 20 to 50 years prior to the date of diagnosis. Mesothelioma can result from direct exposure to asbestos or indirect exposure. Direct exposure is most commonly the result of working in professions in which asbestos was used, trades such as were employed in shipyards, and generally, pipe fitters, insulators, plasterers, electricians, bricklayers, carpenters, steel workers, mine workers, auto mechanics, the U.S. military, or at factories or in other industries, professions and trades in which asbestos was used. Direct exposure sometimes also has occurred as the result of asbestos in heating systems in work places, in homes, apartment buildings, and even in schools. Indirect exposure to asbestos has commonly been found to occur, for example, in family members of those who worked in these industries, who came into contact with asbestos fibers from clothing worn by the worker. (more…)

By Bob Downs

When planning travel in Europe or around the world many travelers overlook the cost of cell phone use abroad. As a business traveler, student abroad, or an occasional traveler, you don’t want to have to worry about staying in touch with the office, family back home, or traveling companions. Using a rental cell phone to stay in touch is convenient and cost effective. Cell phones can be used to confirm or make reservations, call home, or confirm business appointments. They also let you avoid the extraordinary international calling rates charged by hotels and pay phones. (more…)

The fact that TB&W was shut down this week did not create an earth-shattering news event.   The reason:   the impact of this bank closure is less like an earthquake than a tsunami—the wave of destruction hasn’t hit the shore yet.  This a behind the scenes implode and as yet has not completely reverberated to the ultimate borrower.   As a wholesale bank, TB&W was where mortgage brokers often went for the loans that no one else would do:   for instance the very difficult FHA-insured manufactured home loan.   TB&W was one of the diminishing loan options for manufactured homes and for those borrowers, shopping for loans, they may find the playing field significantly down-sized.   Just considering the loans that were likely already in line for underwriting, there are an anticipated 30,000 loans who now may be homeless.  And for some people that already were ready to move into homes ready to fund, they may be homeless as well.

For those of you that had your loans in the pipeline, your lender may be scrambling to place you.   There is the tick-tock of the appraisal shelf life,  your loan lock rate, your next mortgage payment due date—and now all is up in the air.   Any borrower who has a loan in the works needs to contact his loan officers and not just ask hard and fast questions, but demand them, “Where was my loan being placed?   Do you have a back up source?   When will my appraisal expire?  If you were putting my loan with TB&W, what is your back-up plan?”   If there is any sense of hesitation, any wishy-washy-feel-good responses, any skirting-around-the-issue stall tactic, stop right there!   It is time to take matters into your own hands.  (more…)