Cleveland, Ohio -The National Board of Trial Advocacy (NBTA) is pleased to announce that Kevin E. McDermott, of the law firm McDermott & Hickey, LLC, has successfully achieved recertification as a Civil Trial Law advocate.  The NBTA was formed out of a strong conviction that both the law profession and its clients would benefit from an organization designed specifically to create an objective set of standards illustrating an attorney’s experience and expertise in the practice of trial law. Kevin E. McDermott is part of a growing number of trial attorneys that have illustrated their co ..read more

The surviving spouses of Ohio workers who are exposed to asbestos and subsequently die from mesothelioma or asbestos lung cancer may be eligible for Workers’ Compensation Benefits.  These benefits include a lost wage benefit paid twice monthly for the life of the surviving spouse, even if the deceased worker was retired at the time of his death.  In 2022, numerous McDermott-Hickey clients received lifelong Workers’ Compensation benefits, including: The widow of an Ohio mesothelioma victim who was exposed to asbestos while working for Owens Corning The widow of an Ohio mesothelioma v ..read more

McDermott & Hickey partner, Kevin McDermott, spoke to a roomful of retired members of the Painters & Allied Trades District Council 6 regarding the risk factors of on-the-job exposures to toxins, including asbestos, benzene, TCE, and lead. Due to the nature of their work, painters and their allied trades come into contact with a number of substances that can, unfortunately, result in occupational diseases such as mesothelioma, lung cancer, and leukemia. Kevin advised the retirees to make sure they inform their treating physicians regarding their exposures. Workers exposed to toxins on ..read more

While there are thousands of jobsites in Ohio where workers were heavily exposed to asbestos, there are several jobsites that stand out: FOSECO, INC, Brookpark, Ohio From the mid-1960s until the mid-1970s, Foseco used thousands of tons of raw asbestos fiber to make hot-top products for the steel industry. Numerous Foseco workers have developed mesothelioma as a result of their asbestos exposure. Flintkote, Ravenna, Ohio From the mid-1960s until the mid-1970s, Flintkote used thousands of tons of raw asbestos fiber to manufacture asbestos-cement pipes. Numerous Flintkote workers have developed m ..read more

The U.S. Senate passed the Camp Lejeune Justice Act on August 3rd, 2022, allowing people to bring claims who suffered injuries or death from exposure to the contaminated water supply at the Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune located in North Carolina. President Biden is expected to sign this legislation soon. It was discovered that from 1953 to 1987, the water supplying Camp Lejeune was contaminated with toxic chemicals linked to numerous injuries, including but not limited to: Birth Defects Various forms of Cancer Neurological defects, including Parkinson’s disease and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclero ..read more

A cancer diagnosis often leads to expensive and invasive treatments, followed by years of screening to ensure the cancer doesn’t come back. When surgery, chemotherapy or other cancer treatment effectively eliminates the cancer in their body, doctors will say that they have gone into remission. Achieving remission is the first step toward being cured of your cancer. Typically, you need to remain in remission for a set number of years depending on the kind of cancer before doctors will feel comfortable reducing or eliminating your screening for recurring cancer. How frequently do people with mes ..read more

A slip-and-fall accident can be devastating. From emotional distress to broken bones, injuries resulting from slip-and-fall accidents can turn your life upside down. In the worst-case scenario, a slip-and-fall accident can result in death or a life-long disability. If you are hurt in a slip-and-fall accident that is attributable to another person’s or entity’s negligence or unlawful actions, you need to pursue the responsible party for compensation for your damages. However, in doing so, it is important that you avoid mistakes that can hurt your case. Here are two mistakes you need t ..read more

Despite the thorough testing and trials medications through before approval, it is not unusual for some drugs to have unintended side effects. In other words, defective drugs make it into consumers’ hands all the time. If you’ve been injured by a medication that was supposed to help you, there are a few things that you have to prove to claim fair compensation for your losses. Proving Your Defective Drug Case To win your defective drug lawsuit, you will be required to prove a number of things. Among them, you will need to show the following three things: You were using the drug as in ..read more

Asbestos exposure can lead to a lot of health complications, one of the most serious of which is a type of cancer called mesothelioma. It is very aggressive and usually progresses quickly once it is found. Additionally, exposure to asbestos can lead to mesothelioma decades later, and it is common for medical teams not even to discover it until it is in an advanced stage. What all this means is that it’s very important to identify asbestos exposure as soon as it happens. Any exposure is dangerous, but you can take steps to protect yourself. You also want to be aware if you’re at risk so that yo ..read more

Car accidents, dog bites, slips and falls, medical negligence: These are just a few ways thousands of Americans get hurt each year. If you sustain an injury as a result of another person’s actions, you may pursue the at-fault party for compensation to help offset your losses. However, no personal injury claim has a guaranteed outcome. Certain missteps can keep you from getting the full settlement that you deserve for your injury. Here are two simple mistakes that can jeopardize your personal injury claim. Failing to Document Your Injuries You need to prove the severity of your injuries. If you ..read more