Michael Schafle, Esq. logoMichael Schafle, Esq.
Licensed in Pennsylvania · Braddock, PA

Mesothelioma Lawyer Braddock

A mesothelioma lawyer in Braddock represents former Edgar Thomson steelworkers and their families in asbestos exposure claims across Allegheny County. Many of the men who ran the open hearths, boilers, and pipe lines along the Monongahela River waterfront breathed asbestos dust for decades, and mesothelioma often surfaces 20 to 50 years later.

Get your free case review, Braddock

We only use your ZIP to check availability, no spam.

Licensed AttorneyState Bar Member10+ Years of Experience
Mesothelioma Lawyer in Braddock, PA
Licensed AttorneyPennsylvania Bar · #94298

What is a Mesothelioma Lawyer in Braddock, PA?

A mesothelioma lawyer in Braddock is an attorney who represents workers and families harmed by asbestos exposure and files asbestos product claims, employer claims, bankruptcy trust claims, and wrongful death cases in Allegheny County.

Why Braddock clients choose Michael Schafle, Esq.

  • ✓Mesothelioma cases are handled on contingency, so an attorney is paid only from a recovery, no hourly bill and no upfront cost to the family.
  • ✓Pennsylvania sets a two-year deadline to file, generally running from the date of diagnosis or a family member's date of death, so timing matters after a Braddock-area diagnosis.
  • ✓Four paths exist: product-maker lawsuits, employer claims under the Tooey ruling, asbestos bankruptcy trust claims, and wrongful death suits.
  • ✓The Pennsylvania Supreme Court's 2013 Tooey v. AK Steel decision lets some mill workers sue an employer directly instead of being limited to workers' compensation.
Licensed in Pennsylvania · Bar #94298
Licensed Attorney
State Bar Member
Practice Areas

How a Mesothelioma Lawyer in Braddock helps

Focused representation for Braddock & Allegheny County, each matter handled with the same diligence, discretion, and preparation.

Asbestos Product Manufacturer Lawsuits attorney in Braddock, PA

Asbestos Product Manufacturer Lawsuits

Claims against the companies that made or supplied the insulation, gaskets, pipe covering, refractory brick, and protective gear used at Edgar Thomson Steel Works and other Allegheny County plants. Product identification links a specific brand to the worker's job, which is why coworker statements and old purchasing records matter early.

Learn more →
Tooey Employer Lawsuits attorney in Braddock, PA

Tooey Employer Lawsuits

Direct claims against a former employer, made possible by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court's 2013 Tooey v. AK Steel decision. Because mesothelioma appears decades after exposure, it falls outside the 300-week workers' compensation cutoff, and Tooey holds that this gap lets certain workers sue the employer in civil court.

Learn more →
Asbestos Bankruptcy Trust Claims attorney in Braddock, PA

Asbestos Bankruptcy Trust Claims

Filings against the court-supervised trusts left behind by asbestos companies that went bankrupt. More than 60 trusts hold funds reserved for people exposed to named products; a claim is submitted to each trust tied to the worker's exposure history rather than to a lawsuit against a solvent company.

Learn more →
Wrongful Death and Survival Claims attorney in Braddock, PA

Wrongful Death and Survival Claims

Cases filed by a spouse or adult children after a loved one dies from mesothelioma or asbestos-related lung cancer. A wrongful death claim covers the family's loss, while a survival claim covers what the worker endured before death; both can be pursued together in Allegheny County.

Learn more →
Asbestos Lung Cancer and Asbestosis Claims attorney in Braddock, PA

Asbestos Lung Cancer and Asbestosis Claims

Representation for asbestos-related diagnoses beyond mesothelioma, including asbestos-caused lung cancer and asbestosis. Documentation ties the diagnosis to occupational exposure using the same work-history and product-identification steps used in mesothelioma cases.

Learn more →
VA and Veteran Asbestos Claims Guidance attorney in Braddock, PA

VA and Veteran Asbestos Claims Guidance

Support for veterans who served aboard Navy ships or on bases where asbestos was common and later worked in the mills. Veteran claims can run alongside civil and trust claims, and each path is kept separate so no benefit is lost.

Learn more →
Secondhand and Take-Home Exposure Claims attorney in Braddock, PA

Secondhand and Take-Home Exposure Claims

Claims for spouses and children exposed to asbestos carried home on a steelworker's clothes. Dust brought back to homes in North Braddock and Rankin caused disease in family members who never set foot in a plant, and those cases are recognized in Pennsylvania.

Learn more →
Credentials

Licensed, admitted & ready to represent you

You deserve to know exactly who is handling your case. Verify our credentials for yourself.

Bar Admission

Admitted to practice law in Pennsylvania · Bar No. 94298. Pennsylvania (January 12, 2005)

Verify →

JD

Temple University Beasley School of Law · 2004

The essentials

What Braddock couples should know about a prenup

  • Mesothelioma cases are handled on contingency, so an attorney is paid only from a recovery, no hourly bill and no upfront cost to the family.
  • Pennsylvania sets a two-year deadline to file, generally running from the date of diagnosis or a family member's date of death, so timing matters after a Braddock-area diagnosis.
  • Four paths exist: product-maker lawsuits, employer claims under the Tooey ruling, asbestos bankruptcy trust claims, and wrongful death suits.
  • The Pennsylvania Supreme Court's 2013 Tooey v. AK Steel decision lets some mill workers sue an employer directly instead of being limited to workers' compensation.
  • Roughly 60-plus asbestos bankruptcy trusts hold tens of billions of dollars set aside to pay victims of specific asbestos products used in plants like Edgar Thomson.
The Michael Schafle, Esq. standard

What working with us is like

01

A free, confidential consultation

Tell us what happened. You'll get a straight answer about your options in Braddock, no cost, no obligation, and nothing leaves this office.

02

You work directly with your attorney

Not a call center, not a hand-off to a paralegal. The Braddock attorney who takes your case is the one who handles it.

03

No fee unless we win

On contingency matters you pay nothing up front, our fee comes out of the recovery only if we win. If we don't, you owe us nothing.

Fees

Mesothelioma Lawyer cost in Braddock

No confusing rate sheets. Your first conversation is always free.

Free Consultation

Every case starts with a free, confidential consultation. No cost and no obligation, just a clear answer about where you stand and what your options are.

No Win, No Fee

On contingency matters you pay nothing up front. Our fee comes out of the recovery only if we win your case, if we don't, you owe us nothing.

Free, confidential consultation

Let's talk about your case.

Tell us what happened and we'll get back to you quickly, usually the same day. Everything you share is confidential, and there's no cost to speak with a Braddock attorney.

(412) 254-9465
Get your free case review, Braddock

We only use your ZIP to check availability, no spam.

Who we serve

Areas we serve in Braddock & Allegheny County

Michael Schafle, Esq. attorneys in Braddock, PA

S. Steel mill that has run along the Monongahela River since 1875, and generations of men from North Braddock, Rankin, and Turtle Creek spent careers near its furnaces, boilers, and insulated pipe. Asbestos was used heavily in mill insulation and refractory materials through the 1970s, and the same dust rode home on work clothes into houses near the Braddock Carnegie Library and the former UPMC Braddock hospital site.

For families who found local answers scarce after the hospital closed, the point of this page is plain: the exposure that causes mesothelioma here is documented, and a claim can be built from the work history most Braddock households already know by heart.

North BraddockBraddock HillsEast PittsburghRankinSwissvaleTurtle CreekWhitakerChalfant
Questions

Mesothelioma Lawyer in Braddock, answered

Can I sue my former employer in Braddock or Allegheny County for asbestos exposure?
Yes, in many cases. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court's 2013 decision in Tooey v. AK Steel held that mesothelioma, which appears decades after exposure and outside the 300-week workers' compensation window, is not blocked by the workers' compensation exclusivity rule. That opening lets certain former mill workers in Braddock and Allegheny County bring a civil claim directly against an employer. Eligibility depends on the exposure dates and job history, which a review confirms.
What happens to my asbestos claim in Braddock if the company that exposed me went bankrupt?
A bankrupt company usually still owes something. When asbestos manufacturers went bankrupt, courts required them to set up trust funds to pay victims, and more than 60 of these trusts hold tens of billions of dollars. A Braddock worker exposed to a product from one of those companies files a claim against the trust rather than suing the closed business. Several trusts can often be claimed at once when a worker handled multiple products at Edgar Thomson.
How much does a mesothelioma lawyer in Braddock cost?
There is no upfront cost. Mesothelioma and asbestos cases in Braddock are handled on a contingency basis, meaning the attorney fee, typically 33% to 40%, comes only out of a recovery, and case costs are advanced by the firm. If nothing is recovered, the family owes no fee. This matters because families already carrying medical bills after a diagnosis pay nothing to have a case reviewed or filed.
How long do I have to file a mesothelioma claim after a diagnosis in Braddock?
Pennsylvania generally allows two years to file. For a living patient, the clock usually starts at the mesothelioma diagnosis; for a family, a wrongful death claim generally runs two years from the date of death. Because exposure at plants like Edgar Thomson happened decades ago, prompt contact after a Braddock-area diagnosis lets an attorney locate coworkers, work records, and product identification while that evidence still exists.
What is a mesothelioma case worth for a family in Allegheny County?
Case value depends on the specific facts, not a fixed number. Value is shaped by which products and companies caused the exposure, how many bankruptcy trusts apply, the worker's medical costs and lost income, and the family's loss. Reported nationwide mesothelioma settlements often average in the $1 million to $1.4 million range, while individual trust payments commonly run from a few thousand dollars to well over $100,000 per trust. A review of the Braddock worker's actual job history gives a realistic figure rather than a promise.

You don't have to face this alone.

Free, confidential consultations for Braddock & the surrounding area.

For standards, safe disposal, and service guidance on law firm Mesothelioma Lawyer in Braddock, PA, useful references include American Bar Association, Legal Information Institute, Justia, Nolo, LawHelp.org, and Google Maps. General consumer and small-business resources are available from USA.gov, Better Business Bureau, FTC Consumer Advice, U.S. Small Business Administration, and Ready.gov.

mesothelioma lawyer guides

How much does a mesothelioma lawyer in Braddock cost? →Do Braddock mesothelioma lawyers work on a contingency fee? →Can I file a mesothelioma claim for asbestos exposure at Edgar Thomson Steel Works? →Mesothelioma compensation for Braddock steelworkers →