Free is good. And quick and free is even better. How does a quick and free car insurance quote sound with absolutely no obligation? We take the pain out of shopping for car insurance. In the past, getting a good rate meant spending a whole lot of time on the phone. After navigating the phone tree and being placed on hold, you found that you didn't qualify because you were considered high risk. Perhaps you've had a fender bender in the past or your credit isn't perfect. But you must have car insurance so you can drive legally. What to do?
The solution is here. Log on for a free car insurance quote and we think you'll be pleasantly surprised. We specialize in insuring even those who may have been turned down in the past. Two minutes is all it takes to find out how much you could be saving each month on automobile insurance. And once you get your free car insurance quote, we make it easy to finalize the deal. You can pay your premium right online and even print out your very own proof of insurance card right from the comfort of your office. There's no need to handle it during regular business hours when you're busy with a million other tasks. Get your free car insurance quote on your own schedule. You'll be amazed at how we've redefined the process of shopping for car insurance to make it easier for you.
Auto Insurance Quotes - Free Car Insurance Estimates
No matter where you live, if you drive a car, you need auto insurance coverage. Auto insurance quotes and free car insurance estimates are easily available from Allstate. Car insurance requirements vary from state to state - finding out more about your state coverage requirements is your first step towards researching and purchasing your coverage.
Your auto insurance rate is adjustable through your coverage limits and your deductible amounts. There are a number of other factors that affect the price of insurance, including your driving history, your age, and the type of car you drive. One of the best money-saving tactics is to combine your car insurance policy with other insurance such as your home or renters insurance plan in order to get a deal on both. Whatever your needs, Allstate agents can help you find a plan that fits into your budget.
Auto insurance discounts are available depending on what kind of car you drive, where you live, or the safety features your car has. We provide discounts to students, seniors, and retirees. If you drive a new car, economy car, or utility vehicle, you may be eligible for further discounts. Even the type of safety system your car has can make you eligible for car insurance discounts. For example, discounts may be applicable if your car has passive restraint systems, anti-lock brakes, or anti-theft devices.
We also offer car insurance discounts to those who have been accident-free with no moving violations in the last three years. Our best auto insurance discount is for drivers who have been accident-free for five years and who have no moving violations. Drivers age 55 and up can also save on premiums by taking defensive driving classes.
There are a number of different insurance policy options available to help you get the complete auto insurance coverage you need. We offer liability and medical protection including insurance to protect you from those with little or no insurance. Our vehicle protection plans help protect you through collision coverage and comprehensive coverage options. Additional protection can also be extended to you to protect you from a variety of personal injuries such as lost income, child care expenses, and medical expenses.
Allstate also provides specialized insurance for young drivers with our teen driver insurance plans. You can find out more about graduated driver licensing laws in your state on our site. These graduated driver licensing laws help teens to gain driving experience and learn how to safely navigate the roads. If you want to learn more about ways you can help protect teen drivers, visit the Allstate Teen Driver website.
Defending Drug Charges in Queens, Brooklyn and Bronx
From misdemeanor possession to A-felony sales, at Wizenberg & Associates, LLC, we handle all types of drug-related crimes.
It is a crime to use, possess, manufacture or distribute drugs classified as having the potential for abuse (such as heroin, cocaine, marijuana and amphetamines). There are also laws against the abuse of prescription drugs. The Controlled Substances Act provides the authority and classification of substances. The most serious drug charges include the producing, manufacturing and selling of illicit drugs.
The punishment for drug offenses depends on the quantity of the drugs, its classification under federal drug law schedules and the purpose for its possession. New York State also has enhanced penalties for those who sell drugs within 1,000 feet of school grounds. Drug-related crimes often carry stiff penalties, including jail or prison sentences, fines, probation, community service, completion of extended drug treatment programs and a permanent record.
Still, to the knowing attorney, the cases prosecutors bring in this area are often wrought with errors. There is rarely a shortage of areas to attack the prosecutor's case. At Wizenberg & Associates, LLC, we investigate every aspect of the search and arrest to determine whether there were Constitutional violations and move aggressively to preclude evidence obtained through illegal police conduct. This can result in a criminal case being dropped long before trial. We negotiate with prosecutors for dismissal, reductions of charges and drug treatment/rehabilitation alternatives to sentencing, but we're at our best when we fight relentlessly to do one thing--win.
A sampling of drug cases successfully won by Wizenberg & Associates, LLC include the following:
Possession
Possession with the intent to distribute
Manufacture
Trafficking
Sales
Solicitation
Importation
Conspiracy
Illegal Use of Prescription Drugs
Contact a New York Drug Crimes Defense Lawyer
Our attorneys are available evenings, weekends and holidays to accommodate our clients. No matter what language you speak, we can handle your case. We have deep roots, experience and offices in every borough of New York City. Contact us at our Manhattan headquarters for an initial consultation.
Asbestos Lawyers Helping Mesothelioma Patients & Families Throughout the U.S.
The asbestos lawyers at the Simmons law firm are dedicated to giving personal attention to families affected by mesothelioma, a devastating cancer caused by asbestos exposure. The firm's mesothelioma attorneys regularly work with patients and families in every state in the U.S. and are very knowledgeable about mesothelioma and asbestos cancers. We have the resources necessary to handle this complex area of litigation and are dedicated to giving our clients the respect and personal attention they deserve, no matter where they live. If you or someone you love has mesothelioma, we will come to you, and you will have a dedicated team assigned to your case.
Student loan consolidation is often a very popular topic among recent college graduates. Many students leave college with a sizeable amount of debt and begin searching for ways to help manage that debt, with student loan consolidation being a popular option. Familiarize yourself with student loan consolidation by checking out these 10 Best Student Loan Consolidation Tips: 10 Best Student Loan Consolidation Tips
1. Understand that student loan consolidation extends the repayment period of your student loans, which can end up reducing your monthly student loan payments, but may cause you to pay more over the lifetime of the loan (because you pay more interest on the loan).
2. Never consolidate your private student loans with your federal student loans. This is perhaps the most important student loan consolidation tip out there. If you consolidate your federal student loans into a private consolidation loan, you will forfeit all the great benefits associated with your federal student loans. NEVER do this!
3. For private student loan consolidation it will be important for you to ask if the loan has a fixed interest rate or a variable interest rate. For more on this read: Fixed Rate Private Student Loan Consolidation
4. For private student loan consolidation you will want to ask the lender if there are any pre-payment penalties associated with the consolidation loan.
5. Never pay an up-front fee for federal student loan consolidation. There is no up-front fee associated with federal student loan consolidation. In some loan consolidation circumstances, fees will be deducted from the disbursement check, but you should never have to pay an up-front fee.
6. If you received a fee waiver or rebate from your original student loan lender, you should check to see if you will have to repay that fee should you consolidate with another lender.
7. The “best student loan consolidation company” for private student loans is subjective. Private student loans differ from lender to lender, so you need to research the pros and cons of private student loan consolidation for your specific situation.
8. Compare the benefits provided by the current holder of your loans to those provided by the consolidation lender. Many times the loan discounts offered by the originating loan lenders are better than those offered by consolidating lenders. You will want to factor this into your decision when considering student loan consolidation.
9. If you are planning on going back to college, consider that typically you cannot defer payments on a private loan consolidation. You can however, with federal loan consolidation.
10. In addition to federal student loan consolidation, consider that certain types of work, volunteer programs and military service can make you eligible to have some or all of your federal student loans dismissed. For more on loan forgiveness read: Student Loan Forgiveness Programs
When Refinancing Is The Best Option
To begin with, it might be helpful to discuss definition of terms. The act of home refinancing involves applying for a secured loan to pay off a loan that has already been secured with a piece of property or other assets. If your initial loan had a high interest rate, it only makes sense that you would be interested in a loan with a lower rate of interest.
The most common type of mortgage refinance comes in the form of a second home loan. In order to determine if such a loan is appropriate in your particular case, you first need to ascertain whether you'll be saving more on interest than you'll be paying out in refinancing fees. As an added bonus, you may find that you can obtain additional cash while decreasing the amount you need to spend on your mortgage payments. Home refinance loans can be an attractive option because it allows you to use the equity in your house to your best advantage.
Solving the Interest Rate Puzzle
It's important for you to understand how rates on home purchases are determined. The rate you pay is customarily based upon the prevailing interest rate, along with other considerations such as the amount of your down payment and your personal credit rating. Interest rates can fluctuate, based upon the decisions of the Federal Reserve Board. When you refinance, you trade a higher interest rate for a lower rate and decrease your monthly payment in the process.
Cutting the Length of Your Loan
It's also possible to reduce the length of your loan through refinancing. With a mortgage refinancing plan, you can change your term from a 30-year period to a ten or 15-year period. In the process, you can save a substantial amount of interest. If you keep your same monthly payment amount but obtain a lower interest rate, you will be paying more on the principal of the loan each month, allowing you to enhance the equity in your home.
Debt Consolidation
You can also use your home to obtain debt consolidation in the form of a home equity loan. This enables you to combine your high-interest loans to create a single loan with lower interest and a manageable down payment. Your property acts as security for the loan. Until you pay off the home equity loan, the lender will have a lien on your home. With such a loan, you can be protected from creditors and avoid the problem of having to declare bankruptcy.
A Noteworthy Tax Advantage
One important thing to keep in mind about home equity loans is that the interest on such a debt consolidation loan may be tax deductible. Check with your tax accountant to see if your interest can be fully deducted. You may be pleasantly surprised at the answer.
Rebuild.org brings you the latest news headlines related to Home Refinance:
FHA Short Refinance The FHA is allowing mortgage companies to refinance underwater loans if they agree to forgive at least 10 percent of the principal.
[September 7th, 2010]
Can’t Refinance? Might As Well Short Sale and Get $3,000 Cash? There is a certain group of homeowners who have more or less accepted that they are not going to be able to refinance, and will at a 90 percent rate of probability have to move out of their homes within the next six months. No central agency has a reliable number on how many homeowners are [...]
[April 28th, 2010]
New Bank Legislation Shouldn’t Change Refinancing Too Much Nowadays, whenever an important piece of legislation appears imminent, as is the case this week with Senator Dodd’s banking reform bill as the main topic of Congressional conversation, many individuals look at the new law in a “What’s in it for me?” manner. Whether this is the best attitude or not is irrelevant to the [...]
[April 25th, 2010]
Refinance Ratios Boosted by Improved Employment Figures, New Short Sale Policy As anyone who has ever refinanced a mortgage can attest to, the word “ratio” is a major part of the refinance equation. Mortgage brokers talk about “front end” and “back end” ratios, loan-to-value ratios, and so forth. It may sound like gibberish, but when your refi is on the line, ratios need to make sense. If [...]
[April 7th, 2010]
All Roads Lead to Refinance Now While Low Mortgage Rates Last Individuals who are looking to refinance a home loan have perhaps become accustomed to negative news headlines. The happiness of low mortgage rates has been severely hampered by news of underwater home values, foreclosure sales driving down home prices, and widespread unemployment. But of late, and especially this week, refinance news headlines have turned somewhat positive. Three [...]
[March 30th, 2010]
Car accidents can cause serious and sometimes devastating injuries. These can range from cuts, bruises, and soft tissue injuries to catastrophic injuries including head, neck, spinal cord and brain injuries. How will I pay my medical bills? How will I support my family while I recover? These are some of the questions people injured in auto accidents ask themselves. The Virginia car accident lawyers at Allen and Allen can help by providing answers to these questions and by offering advice regarding your legal rights and remedies when you are involved in a car accident or any other type of accident.
Under Virginia law, you may have the right to recover monetary damages if you have been injured in a car accident through the negligence or recklessness of another person. Damages may include reimbursement or compensation for:
Medical costs
Property loss
Lost wages
Pain and suffering
Contact us for a free consultation and put our Virginia auto accident attorneys to work for you.
After a car accident, a representative of the negligent party's auto insurance company may call and make a settlement offer in your personal injury case. Please remember that signing a release of your personal injury claim, in exchange for an insurance company check, may extinguish your personal injury claim forever. Also keep in mind that insurance companies are businesses. Therefore, even if the insurance company makes what you believe is a reasonable settlement offer, it may be in your best interest to contact experienced car accident attorneys, like Allen and Allen, who will evaluate your case and put your interests ahead of the insurance companies.
When you work with us, you can participate in ensuring your legal rights are protected while relying on an experienced team of auto accident lawyers to represent you. If you are in need of a Charlottesville, Fredericksburg, Petersburg or Richmond car accident attorney, please call us today at 866-388-1307 for a free consultation.
When looking for a car accident lawyer, choose a Virginia law firm with proven results. Allen and Allen has locations throughout Virginia:
In Richmond, Chesterfield, Short Pump and Mechanicsville
In Petersburg
In Fredericksburg and Garrisonville
In Charlottesville
And we'll even come to you if our nearest office isn't near enough. We are one of Virginia's oldest and largest personal injury and car accident law firms and we are here for you.
Bad Credit Personal Loans No Credit Check, Apply Now
You are looking for personal loans and what is the first question facing "How's your credit?" Good is bad. Personal loans for bad credit are an option, but you feel like that are hard to find. There is good news for you. Personal loans for bad credit are increasingly adopted. Lake of how many lenders are offering bad credit personal loans. Personal loans for bad credit are not only resolving your money problems, but it gives you an opportunity to reestablish credit. How to Get Best Auto Loan Rates
Auto loan rates offered by number of financial institutions are quite a lot and can be found easily through the internet For some people who want to get new car sometimes need more preparation in order to get the best auto loan rates Payday Loans - Easy Money, No Problems
Only when an employee has received his pay packet, may urgently need money, as his income is not sufficient to cope with the situation. Payday loans are specially designed for the purpose of approving a loan in a situation like this. Thus, the most interesting feature and utility of payday loans is that they are in the hands of the borrower immediately. Usually payday loans are approved within hours and the amount of the debtor within 24 hours after application.
At the Law Offices of David W. Barlow we are committed to helping the people of Hawaii whose lives have been affected by injury or death as a result of someone else’s negligence. We are dedicated to providing Hawaii personal injury victims with the aggressive advocacy and knowledgeable support they need to get results.
You Pay No Attorney's Fees
Unless We Recover For You.
When you have been injured in an accident you deserve to have a Hawaii Personal Injury Attorney who will fight for you to make sure that you receive the compensation you deserve. Our clients have not only been pleased with the results we've obtained for them, but they've been pleasantly surprised that we were able to obtain compensation for them so quickly. This is because we understand that you not only deserve the maximum compensation possible, but you should also receive compensation for your personal injury claim as soon as possible. We pride ourselves on being easily accessible to our clients whenever they have any questions or concerns that they need to discuss. Call us today for a free consultation and we will fight hard for you to get you maximum compensation for your personal injury claim.
30 YEAR FIXED MORTGAGE offers low mortgage rates on purchase or refinance home loans with the security of knowing your payments won't change after you refinance or buy a home, no matter how much rates fluctuate.
FHA MORTGAGE Take advantage of refinancing your home with as little as 5% equity. An FHA mortgage refinance offers the benefit of a federally insured home loan with the low fixed mortgage rate you are looking for.
JUMBO MORTGAGE Need a larger home loan with a smaller rate and lower payments? Finding the right Jumbo Loan can be difficult. Let the experts at ditech do the work for you.
If you have been charged with a crime in Los Angeles, Orange, Ventura, Riverside, San Bernardino, or San Diego county we can help you. You are probably deeply concerned about your future. The stress of facing the court system can be overwhelming, and you never want to enter this arena without a powerful criminal defense lawyer by your side. When you are represented by a skilled criminal defense attorney from the Law Offices of Sean Tabibian & Associates you can rest assured that every possibility for your defense will be relentlessly sought . The legal team has fought for the rights of clients for years and have established a powerful reputation in the courtrooms.
When seeking an aggressive criminal defense attorney to defend you, it is crucial that the lawyer you select is highly qualified and experienced in criminal defense cases and the criminal court system. The Law Offices of Sean Tabibian & Associates have successfully represented countless individuals on their matter. Each case is unique and the circumstances and evidence related to the alleged crime must be thoroughly reviewed by the criminal defense lawyer to determine the best options for an effective defense. Your choice of attorney could alter your future. At the Law Offices of Sean Tabibian & Associates, the primary practice of the firm is criminal defense, and the legal team is highly experienced in criminal law. We have dedicated ourselves to individuals whom are facing criminal charges of any type, including the following:
Some criminal cases result in a trial in front of a jury. The skill with which the attorney presents your case to a jury is of vital importance. It can make the difference between a "guilty" and "not guilty" verdict. Not all attorneys have the courtroom talent needed to present a compelling case for the defendant. Even when the individual facing the charge is innocent of the crime, without an excellent presentation to the jury they can still be convicted of the crime. The understanding of the jury process, how they respond to information and how to present a case is a critical ability that your attorney must have. At the Law Offices of Sean Tabibian & Associates, the Los Angeles criminal defense lawyers from the firm are skilled trial lawyers that will present the case for your defense aggressively and skillfully, with your best interests and freedom as the top concern.
Don't take chances with your future. If you have been charged with a crime in Los Angeles, Orange, Ventura, Riverside, San Bernardino, or San Diego county call us immediately. The courtrooms are tough. You need a top quality lawyer to defend you, no matter what criminal charges you face. Contact a Los Angeles Criminal Defense Attorneyfrom the Law Offices of Sean Tabibian & Associates if you are seeking an aggressive, relentless and talented lawyer to represent you on any criminal charges.
Office Location:
1776 North Highland Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90028. The Law Offices of Sean Tabibian & Associate accept criminal defense cases in these California Counties:
Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, Kern, San Diego, Ventura, Santa Barbara, Alameda, Alpine, Amador, Butte, Calaveras, Colusa, Contra Costa, Del Norte, El Dorado, Fresno, Glenn, Humboldt, Imperial, Inyo, Kings, Lake, Lassen, Madera, Marin, Mariposa, Mendocino, Merced, Modoc, Mono, Monterey, Napa, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, Sacramento, San Benito, San Diego, San Francisco, San Joaquin, San Luis Obispo, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Shasta, Sierra, Siskiyou, Solano, Sonoma, Stanislaus, Sutter, Tehama, Trinity, Tulare, Tuolumne, Yolo, Yba.
If you or someone you love has been seriously injured in an accident, here at Accident Lawyer Hawaii we'll help you get your life back together again. William H. Lawson, a Hawaii accident attorney, concentrates in handling serious personal injury and death claims—claims for damages arising out of accidents resulting from the wrongful conduct of others.
The types of accidents which are addressed on this website include: defective product liability claims, ocean and boating accident(s) and collisions (including Jones Act cases and maritime law), construction site and heavy equipment accidents, recreational accidents, elevator and escalator accidents, explosion accidents, electrical accidents, bad faith insurance claims, medical & professional malpractice, dog bites and animal attacks and fall accidents (such as slip and fall and trip and fall accidents). Links to our pages which cover each of these specific topics are included in the menu in the left hand column of this page under the heading "Accidents (except MVAs)". Our office also handle claims involving car, bus, truck, motorcycle, moped, auto and pedestrian accidents and drunk drivers. We have a separate website which is dedicated to information about motor vehicle accidents and the claims arising therefrom. It can be found at: Car Accident Attorney Hawaii. Links to particular pages of that website may be found in the menu in the left hand column of this page near the bottom under the heading "Motor Vehicle Accidents".
For assistance with particular types of injuries- such as traumatic brain injuries (TBI), head injuries, spinal cord injuries (SCI), wrongful death, catastrophic injuries, broken bones, fire burns, chemical burns, drownings and spinal disk herniations- try: Injury Lawyer Hawaii. Links to some of the specific pages of that site are included in the menu in the left hand column of this page under the heading "Types of Injury". Please take a look around! If you wish to contact us about your situation, a link to do so is included in the right hand column of the page or you may click here to contact Accident Lawyer Hawaii now for a free evaluation of your case. William Lawson, Accident Lawyer Hawaii, provides free consultations to evaluate critical injury and wrongful death cases. Most cases are handled by Accident Lawyer Hawaii on a contingency fee, so "No recovery--No fee". Please note that the Terms and Conditions of Use for this website and our Privacy Policy are available here for your consideration. For those who become our clients and enter into the appropriate documentation to do so, we will provide legal sevices including, but not limited to representation in mediation proceedings, arbitration proceedings, motions practice, trials and appeals- as well as the ongoing investigation and documentaton of the accident claim. Accident Lawyer Honolulu - Honolulu personal injury attorney William H. Lawson also provides representation during the claims process - including negotiations with the opposing parties, their insurance companies and adjusters - which is often successful in avoiding the need for litigation. Please use the links on the left and right side of this page to navigate this site and to explore areas of legal concern which interest you. Thank you for visiting Accident Lawyer Hawaii.
If you are unfamiliar with personal injury claims, you may wish to review our page:
What is a personal injury claim? After an accident it is usually very important (from the point of view of making a claim) to preserve whatever evidence is available regarding the accident. This usually involves keeping/saving/storing/preserving whatever evidence it is possible to keep/save/store/preserve and photographing/videotaping all evidence that may for some reason be perishable or subject to change. It also involves locating and interviewing witnesses to the accident and others who may be familiar with the conditions which gave rise to the accident before memories fade or other reasons intervene to prevent the collection of this information. To examine these issues more closely, please visit the following page:
Inital Steps in Making Your Claim Every type of claim has a deadline for filing the claim in court. These differ from state to state. The deadlines given on this website are those applicable in the state of Hawaii- since Accident Lawyer Hawaii is located in Hawaii. This type of deadline is known as the Statute of Limitations. After the expiration of this time period, the claim usually will be lost- regardless of its merits. There are various exceptions to the deadlines (minority, incompetency, etc.), so it may still be worth evaluating a claim even after the deadline has expired. Please note that because of these deadlines, you must act promptly on any claims which you may wish to pursue. Here are some other links of interest for Hawaii accident claims:
Hawaii Accident and Personal Injury Claims Attorney- Lawyer Wm Lawson One of the first lawyer sites on the internet! Accidents and Personal Injury Hawaii- Attorney William Lawson- no frames, no flash programming, no multimedia, no Java programming and no tables- just the real stuff!
Hawaii Attorney - Hawaii lawyer Wm Lawson Hawaii Attorney - Hawaii personal injury lawyer William Lawson- Frames and Multimedia- voted the Best lawyer's Multimedia site on the Web!
Do You Have a Private Retirement Plan?
By Richard B. Risk, JD, CSSC
Reprinted with Permission
Attorney fees may be deferred either as part of a “qualified assignment” of the future payments due to the client, as a convenience to the client and to satisfy the attorney fee debt, or in a non-qualified assignment. The use of the non-qualified option gives the attorney flexibility to structure fees due from other than personal physical injury or physical sickness cases. For an attorney who does not practice in physical injury tort law or workers’ compensation, the non-qualified assignment option opens up the opportunity to structure fees due from many other types of cases. An attorney fee structure can be a personal discriminatory retirement plan.
Advantages of converting an attorney fee receivable into a deferred compensation plan are: There is no limit on the amount an attorney can defer in any year. There is no requirement to contribute to the plan in future years. It can supplement qualified retirement plans, again with no deferment amount limits, unaffected by the amount contributed to the qualified plan. It can be done in addition to a SEP or an IRA, with allowed deferments unaffected by the amount contributed to the SEP or IRA. Each time you defer a fee constitutes a separate plan, and you can have as many deferred compensation plans as you wish. You can layer income from different plans over the same payment period and, if the funding assets are issued by different companies, you achieve portfolio diversity. There are no annual plan evaluations required, as there are in qualified plans. There is no requirement to include law partners, and non-attorney employees
cannot participate except through separate deferred compensation agreements with the attorney. There is no necessity to wait until age 59½ for distribution from the plan. You can set up lump sum payments to cover known future needs such as college education for children or to build a retirement home. The money inside the plan, whether invested in an annuity or funded with a reinsurance assumption agreement, is guaranteed to grow at a rate specified at the time the plan is established—unaffected by the future performance of the investment marketplace. The guarantee is made by a venerable financial institution—a highly rated life insurance company by the independent analysts, i.e. Moody’s, S&P, Fitch, A.M. Best—which holds the asset. You can avoid the highest tax bracket in an extraordinary year by spreading out income. The plan can survive bankruptcy or divorce.
It is easy to see why a client whose damage recovery for a physical injury or physical sickness is excluded from gross income would want to receive periodic payments. The benefit is obvious. All growth of the funding asset is tax-free to the payee as long as the payee never had actual or constructive receipt of the funds used to purchase the asset, and has no ownership rights to the asset. Not only does the client receive the amount paid by the defense free of income taxes, the client can also receive future growth of that money tax-free.
In contrast, attorney fees are always taxable to the attorney as income in the years in which the fees are paid, constructively received or if the attorney is deemed to have economic benefit of an amount set aside to make future payments. The benefit of structuring taxable payments may not be so obvious, but they are significant. The taxes that would be otherwise paid by the attorney on the income earned at the time the case is settled are deferred. That money grows along with the money that ordinarily would be left after taxes. When distributions are made, the entire amount distributed during a year is taxable for that year.
Because the deferred taxes have grown for the benefit of the payee, there will be more left over after taxes than there would have been if the taxes had been withheld on the original amount earned and taxes paid each year on the entire growth—assuming tax rates do not increase. This is the principle behind qualified and nonqualified defined contribution retirement plans.
An attorney due to receive a large taxable cash sum can benefit from periodic payments by avoiding the highest tax brackets. This is a legitimate reduction in income tax liability. The highest marginal federal income tax bracket in 2001 under the law for a married couple filing jointly was 38.6 percent on any amount over $288,350, and 30 percent on the amount between $105,950 and $161,450. By spreading the income out over several years—including the growth that would occur—the recipient levels income spikes and avoids paying taxes in the highest bracket. That is equivalent to guaranteed earnings. The earnings are more, if the overall tax rates are lowered—such as what happened in 2001—and income is shifted to future years when the tax liability is less.
Nonqualified deferred compensation plans are very common in the corporate world and are well settled in tax law. Traditionally, deferred compensation plans involve an agreement between the company and its higher compensated executives. However, the concept of deferred compensation plans between employer and employee extends to the relationship between client and attorney. If a fee is due to the attorney from a client—whether fee-based or from a contingent fee agreement—that fee can be deferred. The obligation of the client to make the future payments can be assigned by novation—an agreed substitution of parties—to a third-party obligor holding a funding asset issued by a venerable financial institution highly rated by the independent analysts.
The IRS once challenged the attorney fee structure concept in Childs v. Commissioner, arguing that the attorneys should have recognized income that they chose to defer at a time when their fees remained contingent on the future execution of settlement agreements and the entry of a final court order approving them. However, the U.S. Tax Court rejected the IRS argument, confirming that traditional deferred compensation plans extended to lawyers and their clients. U.S. Tax Court is a federal court that hears appeals by taxpayers from adverse IRS decisions about tax deficiencies. On appeal by the IRS, the Eleventh Circuit affirmed the Tax Court’s ruling, and that case remains the nationwide precedent for tax treatment of attorney fee structures. See Childs v. Commissioner, 103 T.C. 634 (1994), aff’d without opinion, 89 F.3d 856 (11th Cir. 1996). Surviving Bankruptcy and Divorce
Whether a structured settlement, including an attorney fee structure, survives bankruptcy or divorce depends on specific facts and how they are applied to the governing law. Bankruptcy debtors were allowed to keep their structure payments in a 1998 ruling by the U.S. Bankruptcy court for the Northern District of Texas, Lubbock Division. They had lost their two children and were receiving periodic payments through a qualified assignment of the future payment liability. In re: David Lynn Alexander and Lyndia Kay Alexander, 227 B.B. 658. In a case involving both divorce and bankruptcy, the structured settlement payments were held to be exempt from bankruptcy creditors, including an ex-spouse, under Louisiana law. Shortly after marrying, the husband suffered closed-head injuries in an automobile accident leaving him permanently brain damaged. The couple sued for damages and settled for periodic payments to the husband, the obligation being assigned to a third party under Code section 130. They later divorced, and the husband agreed to a property settlement under which the wife would receive monthly payments for a specified period. The husband defaulted; the wife received a judgment for arrearages; the husband filed a bankruptcy petition. The annuity payments were listed as assets of the estate but were claimed to be exempt under state law, which in relevant part shields payments under annuity contracts from seizure.
The bankruptcy court denied the wife’s objection and the district court affirmed. A divided three-judge panel of the Fifth Circuit reversed. The panel majority’s judgment was then vacated and the case was reheard en banc, holding for the husband. In the Matter of: Paul William Orso, No. 98-31008, 5th Cir. (2002).
In some states, for example, marital property at the time of divorce is the property acquired by the parties during the marriage by the industry of the husband and wife. Structured settlement payments could be considered separate property, if the settlement occurred before the marriage. If the settlement had been for a cash lump sum, even if before marriage, it runs the risk of transmutation if the court finds that the property changed character because the parties acted in a manner that indicates their intent to change the character of the property. A structured settlement decreases the probability of a transmutation finding, because the payee has no power to change the character of the payments. The states are not uniform in how they treat marital property. Constructive Receipt and Economic Benefit
For income deferment to work, the attorney may not take receipt of the funds—either actual or constructive receipt—and may not have economic benefit of the amount set aside to make the future payments. Section 451(a) of the Tax Code (26 U.S.C.) provides that the amount of any item of gross income shall be included in the gross income for the taxable year in which received by the taxpayer, unless, under the method of accounting used in computing taxable income, such amount is to be properly accounted for as of a different period.
Constructive receipt is defined at section 1.451-2(a) of the Income Tax Regulations (26 C.F.R.), which provides that income although not actually reduced to a taxpayer’s possession is constructively received by him in the taxable year during which it is credited to his account, set apart for him, or otherwise made available so that he may draw upon it at any time, or so that he could have drawn upon it during the taxable year if notice of intention to withdraw had been given. However, income is not constructively received if the taxpayer’s control of its receipt is subject to substantial limitations or restrictions.
Constructive receipt generally occurs when a taxpayer receives “an unqualified vested right to receive immediate payment,” Childs, supra, quoting Martin v. Commissioner, 96 T.C. 814 (1991). Constructive receipt also occurs when a taxpayer makes a “voluntary choice not to receive payment” at a time when the taxpayer “was able to collect,” Sainte Claire Corp. v. Commissioner, T.C. Memo 1997-171 (1997).
“Disclosure by defendant of the existence, cost, or present value of the annuity will not cause … constructive receipt of the present value of the amount invested in the annuity,” Priv. Rul 83-33035.
“Knowledge of the existence, cost, and present value of the annuity contract used to fund the settlement offer … will not cause … constructive receipt of the amount payable under the annuity contract or the amount invested in the annuity contract,” Priv. Rul 90-17011.
Under the principle generally known as economic benefit, the creation by an obligor of a fund in which the taxpayer has vested rights will result in immediate inclusion by the taxpayer of the amount funded. A “fund” is created when an amount is irrevocably placed with a third party, and a taxpayer’s interest in such fund is “vested” if it is nonforfeitable. This is a common law doctrine, attributable to the landmark case Sproull v. Commissioner, 16 T.C. 244 (1950), aff’d 194 F.2d 541 (6th Cir. 1952). The 1988 amendment to section 130(c) of the Code allowing a security position in qualified assignments ahead of general creditors “was intended to allow assignments of periodic payment obligations without regard to whether the recipient has the current economic benefit of the sum required to produce payments.” Priv. Rul. 97-03038 (1997).
Attorney fee structures traditionally have been based on assignment of future payment obligations created in settlement agreements between the plaintiff and defendant that provided for the attorney fee to be paid by the obligor as a convenience to the plaintiff. However, considering these guidelines defining when constructive receipt and economic benefit are triggered, a plaintiff client may settle a claim against a defendant and receive a lump sum, then distribute the attorney fees in periodic payments. The transfer of the client’s obligation can be made to a third party under a nonqualified assignment to an offshore entity, assuming the entity is comfortable that constructive receipt has not occurred and agrees to accept the assignment. Note that, even if the damage recovery to the plaintiff is excluded from the plaintiff’s gross income under section 104, any obligation to the plaintiff’s attorney cannot be transferred as a “qualified assignment” under section 130 once the plaintiff takes receipt of the funds. This nonqualified assignment arrangement would not require the cooperation of the defendant or its insurer, if the plaintiff settles for a single cash lump sum.
This concept works only if the lump sum check is not payable to the attorney or the attorney’s trust account. Attorneys have a comfort level in and are used to depositing case settlement payments into their trust account, where they control distribution, ensuring that all expenses are covered and liens satisfied, including their own attorney fee, before the plaintiff gets what is left. To change this procedure and allow the settlement check to be made payable only to your client might require an adjustment on your part.
But, this does not preclude the check from being delivered to you, where you will hold it pending satisfaction of liens and seeing that it is deposited in the client’s bank account—as long as the check is payable to your client and you have no power to deposit or otherwise negotiate it. (Note: Contact the structured settlement broker before you proceed with this arrangement to be sure there is a willing assignee under the particular set of facts.)
Payment of an attorney fee by a client from the client’s own funds, even when no damages were recovered from a defendant in the underlying case, can be deferred and the obligation transferred to an offshore assignee. Again, this assumes that the intended assignee is satisfied that constructive receipt or economic benefit has not occurred. Selecting the Funding Asset, Method of Assignment, and Insurer to Issue the Asset There are several considerations that will determine the type of funding asset to be chosen, the method of assigning the future payment obligation, and the selection of the company to issue the funding asset: Is this a fee for services with no amount being recovered by your client from another party? If the funds from the client are being recovered as damages from another party, what is the underlying event that gave rise to the claim? Physical injury, physical sickness or death? Nonphysical injury, i.e., defamation, punitive damages, psychological or emotional distress, breach of contract, property damage, fraud, harassment, other intentional torts, etc.? Will your client also be deferring part of the damage recovery? Who will be paying the funds? Your client? A self-insured defendant? A liability insurance company? If the funds are coming from a defendant or liability insurer, will that party cooperate by creating a future payment obligation to be assigned and by allowing you to designate the broker to handle the transaction? Qualified Assignment: If the attorney fee will be paid from funds recovered by the client as workers’ compensation or for a personal physical injury or physical sickness, both of which are excluded from the claimant’s income under section 104 of the Internal Revenue Code [26 U.S.C. § 104], the future payment obligation for attorney fees can be transferred to a third party under what is called a “qualified assignment” under Code section 130 on the theory that the funds being deferred belong to the plaintiff until they are paid to the attorney. While the attorney fee is technically an obligation between the attorney and the client, the payments are made directly from the third-party obligor to the attorney “as a convenience to the plaintiff.” Section 130 permits the future payment obligation to be funded either with an annuity or a government obligation. Virtually all qualified assignments are funded with annuities. Until recently, the only way an attorney could defer a fee from a client, if the client’s obligation was to be assigned to another party with stronger financial credentials, was if the client’s damage recovery was excluded from taxable income. A qualified assignment under the authority of section 130 was the only way, until some creative life insurance companies invented some alternatives. Reinsurance Assumption Agreement: If the attorney fee will be paid from funds recovered by your client as taxable tort or contractual damages not excluded from your client’s taxable income under section 104, a qualified assignment under section 130 may not be made. However, the future payment liability may be assumed by a third party under a nonqualified assignment, which is still a novation and involves a substitution of parties, relieving the original obligor of all obligation. An annuity is not usually a viable funding vehicle for nonqualified assignments because of the 10 percent penalty imposed on premature distributions from annuity contracts “not held by natural persons” by Code section 72(u), unless the distribution falls into one of the exceptions under section 72(q)(2). To avoid the penalties associated with annuity ownership, when there is no applicable exception, some creative life insurance companies use a reinsurance assumption agreement, where the life insurance company assumes the future payment obligation of the original obligor, as long as the original obligor is also an insurance company.
Reinsurance agreements are between insurance companies, including some self-insured risk pools that have been assigned an identification number by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners. Reinsurance assumption agreements were first introduced to assume obligations for workers’ compensation claims filed before August 5, 1997, when section 130 was amended to include workers’ compensation claims in the field of eligibility for qualified assignments. Reinsurance agreements offered for the purpose of assuming future payment obligations are priced like single premium immediate annuities, and their payment streams can be designed just like their annuity counterparts, including lifetime payments with period certain guarantees. In fact, most companies that offer them use the same quoting software for both vehicles, the only difference being the type of contract that is issued to promise the future payments. Nonqualified Assignment: One creative thinking company figured that the 10 percent tax penalty on annuities would have no effect on a non-natural person owner, if the annuity were owned in an environment where the tax penalty is not imposed—a “tax haven.” Taxable obligations funded with an annuity from a U.S. life insurance company are assigned to an “offshore” entity. To allay any concerns that collection from a foreign entity might be difficult in the event of default, the performance of the obligor is guaranteed by a surety bond issued by a U.S.-based property and casualty company. Since, the annuity is simply the funding asset behind the foreign obligor’s periodic payment promise and is not owned by the claimant or the attorney, there are no tax penalties that apply to the payee. Each payment received by the claimant or attorney is fully taxed, but only in the year in which that payment is received.
Two other U.S. life insurance companies followed suit, creating their own offshore entity, securing future payment obligations with a U.S. corporate guarantee.
While there is a lot of flexibility under both reinsurance agreements and offshore annuity ownership, neither device can be used to assign damages that represent wages subject to FICA and FUTA. This is the reason why a deferred compensation agreement between the client and attorney works, while an agreement between the attorney’s own law firm and the attorney will not. There may also be constructive receipt considerations in an arrangement between a law firm of a solo practitioner and the attorney, since they are the same, or if an attorney to receive the deferred compensation is also the managing partner of a multiple-attorney law firm.
The selection of the company to issue the annuity or reinsurance assumption contract will depend on a lot of factors specific to the case on which your fee is based. For example, some life insurance companies are still not comfortable with the concept of assigned attorney fees and will not accept them—even though they are approved by the U.S. Tax Court and have withstood a challenge by the IRS in one of the circuits of the U.S. Courts of Appeal. Other companies will not accept attorney fee assignments if the plaintiff does not also structure at least a part of her or his damage recovery—with varying explanations for this policy from different companies. Some companies will allow lifetime payments to an attorney, based on the attorney being the “measuring life,” while others restrict to periodic payments for a fixed number of years or deferred lump sums. There is a growing trend of more life insurance companies willing to accept assigned attorney fee structures—a sign that the companies are becoming more confident that they will not endure an adverse tax ruling.
Some companies will provide a liquidation of the present value of future guaranteed payments at the death of the attorney, for estate planning purposes—others will not. This is called a cash refund option. If an attorney warrants a rated age based on the attorney’s health history, which can increase life-contingent payment amounts, the funding asset should be purchased from a company that will assign rated ages. And, companies that offer reinsurance assumption contracts and offshore annuity ownership provide options when the damage recovery is taxable to your client. Not all companies are equal in financial strength, making the ratings by the independent analysts an important consideration. Secondary guarantees of the payment obligation are also worthy selection criteria. Therefore, annuity pricing is not the only consideration when selecting a company. Available Payment Options
Various payment options can be combined to match the specific future needs of the attorney(s). Some of the payment options that may be offered by an annuity issuer are: Period Certain—Regularly repeating payments of a specified amount. The payment amount may be level or increasing regularly (usually annually) by a percentage (i.e., 3% compounded) or in fixed steps to help keep pace with inflation. Payment intervals can be weekly, monthly, quarterly, semiannually, annually, or longer. Lump Sum—A single payment of a specific amount on a specified amount.
Life (With or Without Period Certain)—Annuity payments are made for as long as the annuitant lives or for the “Period Certain,” whichever is longer. Payments may be level or increasing regularly. Temporary (Life Contingent)—Annuity payments are made for specific fixed period or for as long as the annuitant is alive, whichever is shorter. Endowment (Life Contingent)—A “Lump Sum” payment which will be paid only if the measuring life (annuitant) is living on the date the payment is due. Joint (With or Without Period Certain)—Annuity payments are made for as long as at least one of the annuitants is living on the date the payment is scheduled to be made. This contract will terminate upon either the date of the last surviving annuitant’s death or the date the last guaranteed payment is made, whichever is longer. Some companies offer a different percentage of the benefit (i.e., 50%, 200%, etc.) to be paid to the survivor after the first death. Installment Refund—Annuity payments are made for as long as the annuitant lives. Payments terminate when the annuitant dies, unless total benefits paid at that time are less than the cost of the annuity. In that event, annuity payments will be made until the total benefits equal the cost of the annuity. Cash Refund—Annuity payments are made for as long as the annuitant lives. Payments terminate when the annuitant dies, unless total benefits paid at that time are less than the cost of the annuity. In that event, a lump sum will be made for the difference between the total benefits paid to date and the original cost. (Some companies might use a different method of calculating the cash refund amount.) This option provides for estate liquidity.
As noted earlier, because different annuity issuers have varying interpretations of the Tax Code, not all companies offer attorney fee deferrals, and those that do vary in their offerings. For example, some companies will not issue annuities for attorney fees based on the attorney’s life expectancy. The offerings of the individual company are a factor that the broker must consider in the selection of the company to be presented for consideration.
Mesothelioma is a rare type of cancer caused by exposure to asbestos or asbestos related materials. Like most other forms of cancer, it is separated into two groups, malignant and benign. Rarely is mesothelioma benign, so frequently any mention of the condition refers to its malignant state, known as a tumor. A malignant tumor will grow and expand, and can spread cancerous cells into other parts of the body.
There are three main types of malignant mesotheliomas cells: epithelioid, sarcomatoid, and mixed/biphasic.
Epithelioid is the most common kind; 50-70% cases reported are of this type, which also has the best possibility of survival. This type affects the covering surrounding the internal organs and internal surfaces in the body. Sarcomatoid is much more serious, and it affects the secondary tissues such as bone, muscles, cartilage, and/or fat. This cell is much rarer, occurring 7-20% of the time. Mixed/biphasic refers to both types of cancers at once, and make up the rest of the 20-35% of the occurrences. Aside from the types of cancerous cells, there are three main types of mesothelioma, and each affects a different area of the body. The three types of this deadly cancer are:
Pleural mesothelioma is found around the pleural cavity around the lungs, and is responsible for 75% of all mesothelioma diagnosed. The second most common form is called peritoneal mesothelioma and affects the tissues in the abdomen, namely the stomach and intestines, and it accounts for approximately 10-20% of all reported cases. The rarest form is called pericardial mesothelioma, which affects the sac and lining surrounding the heart.
Regardless of the area it affects, mesothelioma is fatal. Survival rates are usually 1-5 years after diagnosis, but medical technology is rapidly improving not only the length but also of the quality of life for those victims of asbestos exposure who contracted mesothelioma.
Mesothelioma is truly one of the most devastating diseases imaginable. Thousands of people across the country must come to grips with the fact the asbestos industry put their own profits ahead of the safety of their employees and the public at large. Let our dedicated and experienced mesothelioma attorneys help you get the financial compensation you may deserve. Contact us today. ^ back to top ^
Pleural Mesothelioma - Mesothelioma of Pleura
Pleural mesothelioma is a type of cancer that affects the pleural sac that surrounds the lungs, and is caused by exposure to asbestos. Pleural mesothelioma is the most common form of mesothelioma with estimated 75% of all mesothelioma cases being of this form.
Description of the Pleura:
The pleura is a sac which contains the lungs and also a thin membrane called the mesothelium which secretes a fluid that enables the lungs to expand and contract during breathing. Inhaling asbestos causes a build-up of fibers inside the lungs, and due to the microscopic size and sharpness of the fibers it is possible for them to penetrate the walls of the lung and enter the pleural cavity. As they migrate from the lung into the pleural cavity, the sharp strands shred and mutilate the mesothelium, destroying it and potentially causing cancer.
Thickening of the Pleural Fluid and Cancerous Tumors.
Once asbestos fibers invade the pleural cavity, cancerous tumors may develop which thicken the pleural fluid and inhibit proper lung movement. Tumors can also constrict the lungs and press on the ribcage or other organs resulting in agonizing pain. Also, because the lungs are responsible for re-oxygenating blood, should the cancer advance directly into the lungs it is possible for the cancerous cells to spread into other parts of the body through the bloodstream. Pleural mesothelioma is often confused with less serious or deadly diseases such as:
Pneumonia
Common Cold
Whooping cough
The Flu
Laryngitis
Bruised/Broken Ribs due to chest pain
Sometimes there are no symptoms at all
Mesothelium Mutatation and Asbestos.
Scientists and doctors are do not know why asbestos fibers cause the mesothelium to mutate into cancer, but as more asbestos cases are reported, doctors are learning more and more about this devastating condition. It is believed that even one single fiber can begin the cascade of events that cause mesothelioma.
Diagnosis of Pleural Mesothelioma.
Although there is no cure for mesothelioma, early diagnosis provides doctors the opportunity to relieve a great deal of suffering, and prolong and improve many patients’ lives. These avenues of treatment depend on the extent of the condition and the progession of the disease.
Development of Pleural Mesothelioma:
Because the time it takes for the asbestos particle to turn cancerous is very great - sometimes between 30 to 40 years - it can be difficult to spot. Most cases of pleural mesothelioma develop in the sac that contains the lungs.
Common treatments for Pleural Mesothelioma include:
Surgery: Surgeons can remove all or part of the lung to excise tumors or prevent their spread. In some occasions fluid needs to be drained from the lungs, or in extreme cases the entire lung needs to be removed.
Radiation: Cancer is often treated with high doses of radiation. This treatment uses high energy waves to kill cancerous cells, but unfortunately it also kills healthy cells and causes a number of peripheral health problems.
Chemotherapy: Strong anti-cancer drugs are pumped directly into the tumors or taken orally can inhibit their growth and spread, but these drugs can also cause severe health problems in other bodily systems.
Affects of Pleural Mesothelioma:
Make sure that if you or someone you love has developed pleural mesothelioma, you owe it to yourself to take action. The asbestos industry allegedly knew of the dangers of their product, but rather than take action to prevent serious harm they hid this information from their workers and the public until the damage had been done. Now, thousands of people hurt by this deception are coming forward to collect compensation for their pain and suffering, and you could be the next person to receive restitution for their condition. Let us help you. Contact us today. ^ back to top ^
Peritoneal Mesothelioma
Peritoneal mesothelioma is a cancer that affects the thin cell membrane called the peritoneum. This collection of cells surrounds the gastrointestinal tract and provides lubrication for the stomach and intestines to move so that they may function properly. These organs must be able to move properly in order to properly digest and process food, and a failure in the peritoneum can result in severe and debilitating consequences. Unfortunately, the symptoms of peritoneal mesothelioma can be so subtle that it can be confused with other, less dangerous diseases, and this aspect of the disease significantly contributes to its already staggering mortality rate.
Common symptoms of peritoneal mesothelioma:
Stomach pain
Lower abdominal pain
Difficulty with bowel movements
Weight lost
Nausea
Loss of appetite
Weakness
Abdominal swelling
When asbestos is ingested, minute fibers enter the stomach and penetrate the stomach lining. As more and more fibers penetrate this delicate organ, the cells on the exterior lining begin to mutate into cancerous mesothelioma cells. These cells accumulate into tumors, and eventually overwhelm the peritoneum, killing off healthy stomach cells in the process. Furthermore, these tumors prevent the peritoneum from making the protective lining that aids the stomach in movement. In less drastic instances, the tumors on the stomach lining grow and exert increasing pressure on surrounding organs causing agonizing pain.
There is no cure for any type of mesothelioma, but certain conditions can aid in treatment. Age, type of cell affected, size and stage of the tumor, and whether or not the tumor responds to treatment greatly affect what course of action doctors can take.
Common treatments for peritoneal mesothelioma:
Chemotherapy: Strong drugs are used to shrink the size and kill tumors, but these drugs are extremely potent and often cause significant damage to other healthy cells. These drugs can be taken orally, or in some cases the drugs are directly introduced into the tumors if they are resistant to other treatment
Radiation therapy: Radiation is one of the ways to treat peritoneal mesothelioma. Powerful X-rays can kill diseased cells, but they also can kill healthy cells, and many people undergoing radiation treatment for peritoneal mesothelioma often suffer hair loss and other side effects.
Surgery: This most drastic option often involves the removal of the tumor or cancerous tissue in the abdomen or gastrointestinal tract. The necessity of surgery is generally based on the extent and progression of the cancer.
Vigorous treatment and early diagnosis are often the keys to long term survival. Unfortunately, mesothelioma lies dormant for years, so most victims do not experience any side effects until the cancer is extremely advanced. After the cancer has overwhelmed the stomach, it is rare for patients to survive longer than five years.
Victims of peritoneal mesothelioma
Many victims of mesothelioma take comfort in knowing that the asbestos industry will no longer injure innocent people through deception and blatant lies. Another source of comfort many victims discover is through the law. Thousands of people are taking action against the asbestos industry in order to recover financial restitution for their pain and suffering, and you could be next. Let our dedicated and experienced peritoneal mesothelioma attorneys help you get the compensation you may deserve. Contact us today. ^ back to top ^
Pericardial Mesothelioma
Pericardial mesothelioma is the rarest type of the three main malignant forms of the disease. The heart, as with any organ that requires constant movement to work properly, requires constant lubrication. Lubrication comes in the form of a thin layer of mucous, and in normal systems the heart beats on as normal.
Effects on the Pericardium
Pericardial mesothelioma affects the pericardium, the protective sac that covers the heart and provides lubrication so that it can beat properly. Asbestos exposure is the most common culprit of this debilitating form of cancer, a type that usually comprises 5% of all mesothelioma cases.
Pericardium Mutations
Inhaled asbestos fibers can pierce and shred the pericardium and cause mutations that can result in mesothelioma. Once the cancer begins to spread, it can cause chronic coughing, chest pain, shortness of breath, and heart palpitations. Like the other forms of the cancer, decades pass without incident as pericardial mesothelioma slowly destroys the tissues around the heart. Unfortunately, by the time symptoms appear it is usually far too late to treat pericardial mesothelioma with conventional drugs or therapies.
Common symptoms of pericardial mesothelioma include:
Shortness of breath
Different degrees of chest pain
Heart palpitations
Irregular heart beat
Coughing
Treatments for pericardial mesothelioma.
There are a few marginally effective treatments for victims of pericardial mesothelioma. Radiation treatments are usually the preferred course of action to help slow the spread of the cancer, and chemotherapy can provide help in bolstering the effects of the radiation. Another type of treatment involves “fine needle aspiration” to draw out excess fluid that collects in the pericardium, which can help relieve some symptoms. In rare cases, doctors perform surgery to remove the pericardium, although this is usually a treatment of last resort. This course of action usually only slows the growth of pericardial mesothelioma, for no amount of surgery, chemotherapy, or radiation will fully eliminate the cancer.
If you or a loved one developed pericardial mesothelioma as a consequence of asbestos exposure, you deserve a voice and you may have the right to seek financial compensation for your pain and suffering. Let a dedicated and compassionate mesothelioma lawyer help you get the restitution you deserve. You must act quickly, for the statute of limitations in your state could end your case before it has a chance to begin. Don’t wait - contact someone who understands your fear and frustration today. ^ back to top ^
Mesothelioma Cancer Cell Types
To understand mesothelioma is to understand cancer. Cancer is essentially uncontrolled cellular growth. Under normal circumstances, body cells in the hair, bone, organs, or blood grow to a certain point, die off, and are replaced by newer, healthier cells. Unfortunately, most cancer cells are damaged to some degree, and as the body reproduces them they begin to take over for healthy cells, leading to eventual system failure.
Mesothelioma cells are divided into three main categories: epithelioid, sarcomatoid cells, and a mix of the two types called biphasic mesothelioma.
Cancers like mesothelioma can affect virtually any type of cells in the body, often radically affecting the prognosis and treatment options for patients. The tragedy of mesothelioma is that it takes decades before most symptoms appear, and by the time the cancer is discovered it is too entrenched in the system to treat.
Epithelioid Mesothelioma
The most common and relatively treatable form of the cancer is Epithelioid mesothelioma. Under a microscope this type of the disease is seen as a papillary or tubular growth and generally affects membranes and tissues that cover organs and other internal bodily surfaces. Between 50-70% of mesothelioma cases fall into this category, and this type is most likely to respond to treatment
Sarcomatoid Mesothelioma
Sarcomatoid mesothelioma is the most serious form of the disease, as it rarely responds to any treatment whatsoever. Fortunately it is also the rarest, as it only strikes 10-20% of patients with mesothelioma. It appears as spindle-shaped pattern of cells that overlap one another, and generally arises from support tissues such as bone, cartilage, muscle, and fat. Death usually occurs within six months of diagnosis of sarcomatoid mesothelioma.
Biphasic Mesothelioma
Biphasic mesothelioma is not a condition unto itself, but rather it is a combination of the other two types. It can take on both the good and bad aspects of sarcomatoid and epithelioid mesotheliomas and 20-35% of all mesothelioma cases are mixed or biphasic. Mesothelioma is truly the deadly scourge of the 21st century. Because it takes decades before the first symptoms appear, many health professionals believe that there will be a mesothelioma epidemic in the decades to come. If you or someone you love was the victim of this deadly disease, you must consult one of our dedicated and experienced mesothelioma attorneys today. You may be entitled to compensation for your pain and suffering. Don’t delay. Call now. ^ back to top ^
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(from the point of view of making a claim) to preserve whatever evidence is available regarding the accident. This usually involves keeping/saving/storing/preserving whatever evidence it is possible to keep/save/store/preserve and photographing/videotaping all evidence that may for some reason be perishable or subject to change. It also involves locating and interviewing witnesses to the accident and others who may be familiar with the conditions which gave rise to the accident before memories fade or other reasons intervene to prevent the collection of this information. To examine these issues more closely, please visit the following page: 
