Hardin Toxic Exposure and Dangerous Industry Advocacy: Holding Corporations Accountable for Liberty County Workers

For decades, the men and women of Hardin followed FM 834 and TX-146 to the massive industrial complexes that define life along the Texas Gulf Coast. You worked the turnarounds at the ExxonMobil Baytown refinery, you pulled shifts at the Motiva Port Arthur complex, and you built the infrastructure of Liberty County with your own two hands. While you were providing for your family and fueling the American economy, the corporations that employed you often kept a deadly secret locked in their filing cabinets. They knew the asbestos insulation, the benzene-laden process streams, and the hazardous chemical vapors were slowly destroying your health. At Attorney 911, we believe that a paycheck should never cost you your life. If you or a loved one in Hardin has been diagnosed with mesothelioma, leukemia, or suffered a catastrophic workplace injury, Ralph Manginello and Lupe Peña are here to ensure that the companies that profited from your labor finally pay for their negligence.

The realization usually starts with a persistent cough that won’t go away or a level of fatigue that feels different from a long day on the job. For many in Hardin, these symptoms are the first indicators of a battle that began thirty years ago in the hold of a ship or the middle of a refinery process unit. We understand the unique vibration of a legal emergency because our firm was built to respond to them. Ralph Manginello brings over 27 years of trial experience to your case, including a background in the litigation surrounding the 2005 BP Texas City refinery explosion—a case that resulted in over $2.1 billion in total compensation for victims. We don’t just “handle” toxic exposure cases; we litigate them in the federal and state courts that govern Liberty County, and we do so with the insider knowledge of a former insurance defense attorney. Lupe Peña spent years on the other side, learning the exact tactics that corporate defense firms use to suppress evidence and deny claims. Today, he uses those secrets to help families in Hardin win.

If you have been told that your illness is just “old age” or that your only option for a workplace injury is a limited workers’ compensation check, you have been lied to. In Texas, and specifically within the industrial sphere surrounding Hardin, you have multiple pathways to justice that most law firms never even investigate. From the more than 60 active asbestos bankruptcy trust funds holding $30 billion in assets to third-party liability claims that bypass workers’ comp caps, your rights are more extensive than the human resources department wants you to believe. Call us today at 1-888-ATTY-911 for a free, confidential consultation. Whether we meet at our primary Houston office, our Beaumont location, or over a video call from your home in Hardin, our team is ready to start the clock on your recovery.

The Science of Betrayal: How Asbestos and Benzene Invade the Body

To understand why you are sick today, you have to understand the biological mechanism of what these substances did to you years ago. In Hardin, many workers were exposed to “white” chrysotile or “brown” amosite asbestos while working as insulators, pipefitters, or boilermakers. When you cut that insulation or replaced a gasket on a high-pressure steam line, you released microscopic fibers into the air. These fibers are invisible, but they are indestructible. Once inhaled, they travel deep into the alveolar sacs of your lungs and penetrate into the mesothelium—the thin lining that protects your organs.

Your body’s immune system recognizes these fibers as foreign invaders. Cells called macrophages move in to engulf and destroy them. However, because asbestos is a mineral fiber, it is “biopersistent.” The macrophages attempt what scientists call “frustrated phagocytosis.” They try to eat the fiber, but the fiber is too long and sharp; it punctures the immune cell, causing it to die and release a cascade of inflammatory cytokines and reactive oxygen species (ROS). This creates a permanent state of chronic inflammation in your chest or abdomen. Over a latency period of 15 to 50 years, this inflammation damages the DNA repair mechanisms in your mesothelial cells, eventually leading to the malignant transformation we know as mesothelioma.

For those in Hardin who worked around the crude oil process units, the threat was often benzene. Benzene is a natural component of oil, but it is also a potent bone marrow toxin. When you breathe benzene vapor, your liver metabolizes it into products like muconaldehyde and hydroquinone. These metabolites travel through your bloodstream and concentrate in your bone marrow, where they attack hematopoietic stem cells. By disrupting the way your body creates new blood cells, benzene causes chromosomal translocations—specifically the t(8;21) or inv(16) abnormalities—that trigger Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) or Myelodysplastic Syndrome (MDS). If you were exposed to benzene at a facility near TX-146 and are now facing a blood cancer diagnosis, that connection is not a coincidence; it is the result of molecular-level damage caused by corporate neglect.

Ralph Manginello explains the high stakes of these “million-dollar” cases and the requirements for holding major corporations accountable here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dmMwE7GqUFI

Mesothelioma and Asbestos Exposure in the Hardin Workforce

Mesothelioma is a signature disease. There is almost no other cause for this aggressive cancer besides asbestos exposure. If you live in Hardin and have been diagnosed with pleural mesothelioma (affecting the lungs) or peritoneal mesothelioma (affecting the abdomen), the law presumes you were exposed to a defective product. The tragedy of this disease is its long latency period. You may have worked a summer job at a shipyard in the 1970s or spent a decade at a local power plant in the 1980s, feeling fine for forty years until the first symptoms surfaced last week.

We focus our practice on identifying the specific products that caused your illness. Was it Kaylo pipe insulation manufactured by Owens-Illinois? Was it Unibestos block insulation from Pittsburgh Corning? Did you handle gaskets made by Garlock or John Crane? In Hardin and across Liberty County, our investigators reconstruct your work history to find every potential defendant. This is critical because you may be entitled to file claims against multiple bankruptcy trusts simultaneously. These trusts were established by companies that knew their products were dangerous but chose to file for Chapter 11 protection to manage their liability. The money in these trusts—totaling billions of dollars—belongs to you.

The symptoms of mesothelioma are often misdiagnosed as pneumonia or simple old age. If you are experiencing persistent chest wall pain, a dry cough that results in shortness of breath, unexplained weight loss, or lumps under the skin on your chest, you need an evaluation by a specialist. We often refer our clients in Hardin to MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, which hosts one of the most advanced mesothelioma programs in the world. Their team pioneered the multimodal treatment approach, combining surgery, chemotherapy, and immunotherapy to extend survival rates far beyond the traditional 12-to-21-month median.

According to the National Cancer Institute, there is no safe level of asbestos exposure, and even brief, high-intensity contact can lead to malignancy decades later. https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/causes-prevention/risk/substances/asbestos/asbestos-fact-sheet

Benzene, Leukemia, and the Hardin Industrial Connection

Hardin is strategically located near some of the most benzene-intensive environments in the world. For those who spent their careers in the refinery row between Baytown and Port Arthur, benzene exposure was an everyday reality. Benzene is used to make everything from plastics to detergents, but in its raw form as a vapor, it is a Group 1 human carcinogen. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) currently sets the permissible exposure limit (PEL) at 1 part per million (ppm), but historically, the limits were much higher, reflecting industry lobbying rather than medical safety.

If you worked as a laboratory technician, a tank cleaner, or a refinery operator near Hardin and have been diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML), your employer may have failed to provide the necessary respiratory protection or monitoring. We look for patterns of “excursion limits” where workers were exposed to massive spikes of benzene during maintenance or vessel entry. These acute “hits” to the bone marrow are often what trigger the DNA damage that results in leukemia or myelodysplastic syndrome years later.

Lupe Peña’s experience as a former insurance defense insider is particularly valuable in benzene cases. He knows the “junk science” experts that oil companies hire to testify that your leukemia was caused by “lifestyle factors” or “random mutation.” We countered these arguments by retaining world-class toxicologists who can point to the specific chromosomal markers in your pathology reports that serve as a fingerprint for benzene exposure.

OSHA provides clear standards for benzene safety under 29 CFR 1910.1028, and any violation of these standards is powerful evidence of negligence in your personal injury claim. https://www.osha.gov/laws-regs/regulations/standardnumber/1910/1910.1028

Industrial Explosions and Catastrophic Workplace Injuries

In a town like Hardin, we all hear the low rumble of a distant plant upset or see the flare stacks lighting up the night sky over Liberty County. But when an explosion occurs, it isn’t just a news story; it is a life-changing event for the workers on the line. Industrial explosions at Texas Gulf Coast facilities are almost always the result of a failure in Process Safety Management (PSM). Whether it was the popcorn polymer buildup at the ExxonMobil Baytown plant or the overfilled splitter tower at the BP Texas City refinery, these disasters happen because a corporation prioritized production speed over mechanical integrity.

If you were injured in a fire or explosion, you are likely dealing with a combination of blast trauma and thermal burns. A primary blast wave can rupture eardrums and cause internal organ “spalling,” while a secondary blast involves being struck by flying shrapnel or falling infrastructure. For those who survive, the road to recovery involves months of debridement, skin grafting, and often the treatment of severe Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

Ralph Manginello’s role in the BP Texas City litigation gave him a firsthand look at how multinational corporations attempt to bury the “investigative reports” that prove they ignored safety warnings. We move immediately to issue spoliation letters to your employer and the site owner, legally commanding them to preserve the black box data, the maintenance logs, and the communication records from the day of the disaster. If you’ve been hurt, you shouldn’t be fighting an insurance adjuster alone. You need a team that has already beaten the biggest oil companies in the world.

Watch Ralph Manginello discuss the critical steps you must take after a refinery or industrial accident to protect your legal rights: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0YZefHeT8dY

Your Rights Beyond Workers’ Compensation

One of the biggest myths in Hardin is that if you are hurt at work, you are limited to workers’ compensation. This is what your employer’s insurance company wants you to believe because workers’ comp is a “no-fault” system that pays for your medical bills and a portion of your wages, but it provides ZERO compensation for your pain, suffering, disfigurement, or the loss of your quality of life.

At Attorney 911, we specialize in identifying “third-party claims.” If you were exposed to a toxic chemical, the manufacturer of that chemical is a third party. If you fell from a defective scaffold, the company that erected the scaffold is a third party. If you were injured at a refinery while working for a contractor, the refinery owner may be a third party. These claims are not restricted by workers’ comp caps. In many cases, a third-party lawsuit is worth ten to twenty times what the workers’ comp claim provides.

In Texas, we also have “non-subscriber” law. Some employers choose not to carry workers’ compensation at all. If your employer is a non-subscriber, they lose many of their legal protections, and we can sue them directly for even a small percentage of negligence. No matter what paperwork you signed at the time of your hire, you cannot sign away your right to a safe workplace.

Ralph explains why your immigration status or your employer’s claims about workers’ comp don’t prevent you from seeking full justice in this podcast episode: https://share.transistor.fm/s/1f8970c7

The Hidden Threat: PFAS and “Forever Chemicals” in Hardin

While most of our cases are occupational, a new threat is emerging for the families residing in Hardin and surrounding Liberty County: PFAS. Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances are a group of man-made chemicals used in firefighting foam (AFFF), non-stick coatings, and water-resistant materials. They are known as “forever chemicals” because the carbon-fluorine bond is one of the strongest in nature; it never breaks down in the environment or in your blood.

If you live near an airport, a fire training facility, or an industrial site that used AFFF, your groundwater may be contaminated. PFAS bioaccumulates in your body over time, disrupting your endocrine system and increasing the risk of kidney cancer, testicular cancer, and thyroid disease. The EPA recently set a maximum contaminant level for PFOA and PFOS in drinking water at just 4 parts per trillion, acknowledging that even microscopic amounts are hazardous.

We are currently investigating community contamination claims for families whose wells or municipal water systems have tested positive for these toxins. Corporations like 3M and DuPont knew these chemicals were building up in the blood of Americans as early as the 1970s, yet they continued to manufacture and discharge them into our waterways. We fight to ensure these companies pay for the medical monitoring and the cleanup that Hardin residents deserve.

Find out more about the EPA’s national primary drinking water regulations for PFAS and how they impact your community: https://www.epa.gov/sdwa/and-polyfluoroalkyl-substances-pfas

Silica Dust and the Hard-Rock Reality of Construction

Construction is the heartbeat of Liberty County’s growth, but for those cutting concrete, grinding stone, or handling fracking sand, there is a silent killer in the dust: respirable crystalline silica. When you cut into a quartz countertop or a concrete pad, you create a dust that is 100 times smaller than a grain of sand. These particles travel past your body’s natural filters and lodge in your lung tissue, causing the formation of scar tissue or “nodules.”

This condition, known as silicosis, is irreversible and progressive. Even after you leave the job site, the silica in your lungs continues to create inflammation. Accelerated silicosis can lead to a total loss of lung function in as little as five years, often requiring a double lung transplant. Juries across the country are now awarding tens of millions of dollars to young workers who were never told that the “dust” on their clothes would eventually suffocate them. At Attorney 911, we hold the manufacturers of engineered stone and the employers who failed to provide wet-cutting equipment or HEPA-filtered respirators accountable.

The CDC has documented a sharp rise in silicosis among stone fabrication workers, and we use these federal health assessments to prove that manufacturers KNEW their products were lethal when used as intended. https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/72/wr/mm7238a1.htm

The Lupe Peña Advantage: An Insider Fighting for Hardin

If you were playing a high-stakes game of poker, wouldn’t you want to know what the person across the table was holding? That is exactly what Lupe Peña provides for our clients in Hardin. Before joining Attorney 911, Lupe was on the “other side.” He worked for a national defense firm representing the very insurance companies and industrial giants we now sue.

He knows the “Deposition Trap” where defense lawyers try to get you to admit that your symptoms started before you worked at the plant. He knows the “Surveillance Tactic” where they hire private investigators to film you in your backyard in Hardin to try and disprove your disability. Most importantly, he knows how insurance adjusters internally value a case. When a defense firm offers a settlement, Lupe can often tell us down to the dollar whether it’s a fair offer or an attempt to lowball a family in crisis.

“I’ve seen the playbook they use to minimize human suffering,” Lupe says. “Now, I take that playbook and I rip it up in front of them in the courtroom.” This insider knowledge is why Attorney 911 is consistently ranked with a 4.9-star rating on Google by over 270 verified clients. We don’t just guess what the defense will do; we already know.

Watch Lupe Peña explain the most common deposition questions and how the defense will try to turn your words against you: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x_qCwqfeRRs

FELA and the Railroad Legacy in Liberty County

BNSF and Union Pacific railroad lines have crisscrossed Liberty County for over a century, and the workers who maintained those tracks and locomotives were exposed to a unique cocktail of toxins. Unlike most workers, railroad employees are not covered by state workers’ comp. Instead, your rights are protected by the Federal Employers’ Liability Act (FELA).

FELA allows you to sue the railroad directly for negligence, and the burden of proof is much lower than in a typical personal injury case. If the railroad was even 1% at fault for your exposure to asbestos in locomotive brake shoes or the diesel exhaust that caused your lung cancer, they are liable for your damages. We have successfully navigated FELA claims for conducters, engineers, and maintenance-of-way workers who were poisoned by the very industry they helped build.

The Federal Railroad Administration maintains strict safety data and accident records that we use to build your case, ensuring that the legacy railroads can’t hide behind a century of corporate restructuring. https://railroads.dot.gov/safety-data

Maritime Law and the Jones Act for Trinity River and Coast Workers

Whether you worked on a tugboat in the Trinity River or an offshore rig in the Gulf of Mexico, your legal rights are governed by the Jones Act. Being a “seaman” is a distinct legal status that provides you with protections the average land-based worker never receives. Under the Jones Act, you are entitled to “Maintenance and Cure”—an automatic, no-fault payment for your daily living expenses and all of your medical bills until you reach maximum medical improvement.

But Maintenance and Cure is just the beginning. If your injury was caused by an “unseaworthy” vessel—whether that’s a missing handrail or a leak of toxic drilling mud—you can sue the vessel owner for full damages. Many Hardin families have members working in the Port of Houston or the Beaumont shipyards where asbestos was used raw in engine rooms for decades. If you have a maritime background and a lung diagnosis, you may have a Jones Act claim that is worth significantly more than a standard civil suit.

Ralph Manginello provides the ultimate guide to offshore accidents and maritime rights in this comprehensive video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5vd_HVPtPf4

The Importance of Fast Action: The Spoliation Protocol

In the world of toxic exposure, time is your greatest enemy. Companies in the Texas industrial corridor are constantly updating their equipment, demolishing old units, and, most importantly, “cleaning” their files. In Hardin, we have seen evidence of exposure disappear into a shredder days after a worker leaves the company.

The moment you hire Attorney 911, we trigger our Spoliation Protocol. We send a legally binding demand to your employer and the product manufacturers to preserve every OSHA 300 log, every industrial hygiene report, and every personal exposure monitor reading associated with your name. If a company destroys evidence after receiving our letter, we can ask the judge for an “adverse inference” instruction, which essentially tells the jury to assume the destroyed evidence would have proven the company’s guilt.

Stephanie Hernandez, in her 5-star Google review, noted: “When I felt I had no hope or direction… they took all the weight of my worries off my shoulders and I just never felt so taken care of.” This care starts with the security of knowing that we are locking down the evidence needed to win your case while you focus on your health.

Compensation That Actually Covers the Cost of Care

A mesothelioma diagnosis can result in medical bills that exceed $1 million in the first two years of treatment. A workplace explosion that results in third-degree burns can require a lifetime of expensive surgeries and physical therapy. We don’t just calculate your past bills; we hire life-care planners and economists to project the true cost of your injury over the next 30 years.

We pursue compensation for:

• All past and future medical treatments, including experimental clinical trials.
• Lost wages and the total loss of your future earning capacity.
• Non-economic damages like “Loss of Consortium” for your spouse and “Mental Anguish” for your family.
• Punitive damages intended to punish corporations that knowingly concealed hazards.

As Chad Harris wrote in his verified Google review: “Attorney Manginello stepped in and absolutely fought for us. A true PITT BULL and fighter. He doesn’t play!” That is the intensity we bring to your settlement negotiations. We know that for a family in Hardin, this isn’t just a legal file; it’s your survival.

Find out how we calculate fair compensation for pain and suffering and what your case might be worth: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LG07vbB4cdU

Secondary Exposure: Protecting the Families of Hardin

One of the most heartbreaking aspects of our practice is representing the wives and children of industrial workers who never set foot in a plant. For years, workers in Hardin came home in their work trucks and sat at the dinner table in their dusty coveralls. Those coveralls were coated in asbestos fibers or lead dust. When a spouse shook out those clothes to wash them, they breathed in the same toxins that were present at the refinery.

This is called “Take-Home Exposure,” and courts have repeatedly held employers liable for failing to provide on-site showers and laundry services that would have prevented this transfer. If your spouse worked at a facility near the Houston Ship Channel and you have now been diagnosed with mesothelioma, you have a direct legal claim against their employer. You were an innocent bystander in the pursuit of corporate profit, and we fight to ensure your family is compensated for this betrayal.

The ATSDR provides detailed toxicological profiles on how substances like asbestos and lead can be transferred from the workplace to the home environment. https://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/toxprofiles/tp61.pdf

Frequently Asked Questions for Hardin Residents

I was exposed 30 years ago. Is it too late to file a claim?

No. Texas follows the “Discovery Rule.” In toxic exposure cases, the two-year statute of limitations typically does not begin until the date you were actually diagnosed or the date a reasonable person would have known their illness was caused by the exposure. This is why we can successfully file mesothelioma claims in 2026 for workers who were exposed in Hardin in 1975. However, once you have a diagnosis, the clock is ticking.

Can I file a claim if the company I worked for is now bankrupt?

Yes. Many of the largest asbestos manufacturers, such as Johns-Manville, Armstrong World Industries, and W.R. Grace, are “bankrupt” in name only. As part of their reorganization, they were required by federal law to set up trust funds to pay current and future victims. There is currently over $30 billion available in these trusts. We can often help you collect from five to ten different trusts for a single case.

Will filing a lawsuit affect my VA benefits or Social Security?

Generally, no. A personal injury lawsuit or a trust fund claim is a private legal action. It is separate from the benefits you receive from the government. In fact, we often help veterans in Hardin coordinate their PACT Act benefits alongside their civil litigation to ensure they are receiving every dollar available to them from all sources.

How much does it cost to hire Attorney 911?

We work on a contingency fee basis. This means you pay $0 upfront. We advance all the costs of the litigation—the expert stays, the filing fees, the medical record collection. If we do not win a settlement or a verdict for you, you owe us nothing. We only get paid when you get paid.

What if I don’t remember the brand names of the products I used?

That’s common, and it doesn’t stop your case. We use “Product Identification” experts who have databases of which brands of insulation, gaskets, and solvents were used at specific Liberty County job sites during specific years. We also use co-worker testimony to reconstruct the environment of the facility where you worked.

What is the “exclusive remedy” and why does it matter?

Employers use the term “exclusive remedy” to trick you into thinking workers’ comp is your only option. While it protects your direct employer from a simple negligence suit, it does NOT protect the manufacturer of the toxic chemical or the owner of the property where you were working. We specialize in finding these third parties to get around the workers’ comp limitations.

I’m an undocumented worker. Can I still file a claim for workplace injuries?

Absolutely. Under the laws of the United States and Texas, your immigration status has no bearing on your right to a safe workplace or your right to be compensated for a corporation’s negligence. We have worked with many immigrant workers in the construction and refinery sectors near Hardin to secure their futures. Lupe Peña is fluent in Spanish and can discuss your case confidentially.

My doctor says I have “lung cancer,” not mesothelioma. Do I still have a case?

Yes. While mesothelioma is only caused by asbestos, asbestos also quintuples the risk of regular lung cancer. If you have a history of asbestos exposure and have lung cancer, you are still eligible for many of the same trust funds and legal pathways. Even if you were a smoker, the “synergistic effect” means the asbestos and the cigarettes worked together to cause your cancer, making the asbestos manufacturer still liable.

What is the BP Texas City connection to Attorney 911?

Ralph Manginello was part of the original litigation team that held BP accountable after the 2005 explosion. The evidence uncovered in that case regarding the company’s “cost-cutting culture” is still used in our refinery litigation today. We know how these companies think because we’ve seen their internal memos during some of the biggest trials in Texas history.

How long does a toxic exposure case take to settle?

For terminal patients, we can often file for an “expedited docket” that can result in a resolution in as little as 6 to 12 months. For other cases, the process can take 18 to 24 months as we navigate discovery and expert depositions. We provide regular updates so you always know where your case stands.

Do I have to go to court?

The vast majority of our toxic exposure and industrial injury cases settle out of court. Corporations like Shell and ExxonMobil usually prefer to settle privately rather than risk a massive public verdict in a Harris or Liberty County jury trial. However, we prepare every case as if it is going to trial, which is the only way to force the defense to offer a maximum settlement.

Can I sue for Parkinson’s disease from Paraquat exposure?

Yes. If you worked in the agricultural sector around Hardin or handled pesticides, and have been diagnosed with Parkinson’s, you may be part of the active Paraquat MDL. Scientific studies show that Paraquat specifically targets the dopaminergic neurons in the brain, similar to the way Parkinson’s develops naturally, but at a vastly higher rate.

What are the first medical steps I should take?

First, ensure you are seeing a specialist, not just a general practitioner. For our Hardin clients, we recommend specialists at MD Anderson or the Houston Methodist Lung Center. Second, tell your doctor about your work history. Many doctors don’t ask about asbestos or chemical exposure, which can lead to an incorrect diagnosis.

Who will be my main point of contact at the firm?

You will have direct access to Ralph and Lupe, but you will also work closely with our veteran staff members like Leo and Leonor. As Eddy Mena noted in his review: “Every question I had was answered thoroughly and in a timely manner… Melani was outstanding—always responsive.” We pride ourselves on communication.

Can I switch to Attorney 911 if I already have another lawyer?

Yes. Many clients come to us after realizing that their “billboard lawyer” is a settlement mill that isn’t returning their calls. You have the right to fire your attorney at any time. We can review your file and tell you if there are claims (like specific trust funds) that your current lawyer is missing.

What are “B Readers” and why are they important for my case?

A “B Reader” is a radiologist who has passed a specific NIOSH exam to identify the signs of occupational lung disease on X-rays. A regular hospital radiologist might miss the subtle signs of pleural plaques or asbestosis. We send our clients’ films to certified B Readers to get the medical evidence needed for a successful claim.

Is the water in Hardin safe from PFAS?

Contamination varies by specific residential area. If your home is near a historic fire training site or an industrial runoff zone, you should have your water tested. We can assist in coordinating independent lab testing if we believe a community-wide contamination event has occurred.

Why is Ralph Manginello called a “BEAST” in his reviews?

That term comes from our clients who have seen Ralph in action during mediations and depositions. He doesn’t accept the first low-ball offer from an insurance company. He stays in the fight until the corporation offers a settlement that actually reflects the damage they caused to your life.

How does the 2024 asbestos ban affect my case?

In early 2024, the EPA finalized a ban on chrysotile asbestos, the last type of asbestos still being used in the US. This ban is an admission by the government that the substance was never safe. We use this current regulatory action to prove that the companies that used it in the 70s and 80s were ignoring a lethal hazard.

What is the “30% Rule” for Jones Act seaman status?

To be a seaman, you must spend at least 30% of your work time on a vessel “in navigation.” This includes tugs, barges, and jack-up rigs. If you meet this 30% threshold, your rights are vastly superior to any land-based worker. We help Hardin workers document their sea time to prove they qualify for Jones Act status.

Can I sue for a family member who has already passed away?

Yes. Under the Texas Wrongful Death Act and the Survival Act, you can seek compensation for the suffering your loved one endured before they passed, as well as the loss of their support and companionship. For mesothelioma, where the progress is often rapid, many of our cases are filed by the surviving spouse or children.

What is the most important piece of evidence I can provide?

The most important thing you can give us is a list of your former employers and the locations where you worked. Even if you don’t have pay stubs from 40 years ago, we can use your Social Security earnings statement to reconstruct your career and identify the toxins you were exposed to.

Does Attorney 911 handle cases outside of Texas?

While we are based in Houston and serve Hardin and all of Texas, toxic exposure laws are often federal. We regularly work with local counsel in other states to handle cases nationwide. Ralph Manginello is also admitted to practice in New York, giving us a broad reach for multi-state corporate defendants.

How do I get started?

The first step is a simple phone call to 1-888-ATTY-911. We will listen to your story, ask a few questions about your diagnosis and work history, and tell you immediately if we believe you have a case. There is no pressure and no charge for this evaluation.

Why Hardin Chooses Attorney 911

The corporations that exposed you have spent billions of dollars on “rebranding” and legal defense teams. They want you to think they are part of the Hardin community while they quietly fight to keep you from the compensation you’ve earned through your blood, sweat, and breath. You need a law firm that isn’t intimidated by the logos on the refinery gates.

Ralph Manginello and Lupe Peña provide the ultimate combination of trial experience and defense-side intelligence. We have the 4.9-star track record to prove that we treat our clients like family, and the $2.1 billion litigation background to prove that we win. Don’t let another day go by while your evidence fades and your health declines.

You fought for these companies for thirty years. Now, it’s our turn to fight for you. Call Attorney 911 at 1-888-ATTY-911 or visit our primary office at 1177 West Loop South, Suite 1600, Houston, TX 77027. We serve every family in Hardin and throughout Liberty County. Let’s start the clock on your justice today.

Attorney 911. Because when you’re facing a corporate giant, you need more than a lawyer—you need a beast in your corner. Call 1-888-ATTY-911. Free consultation. No fee unless we win.

Principal Office: Houston, Texas.

Past results do not guarantee future outcomes. Every case is unique. This information is for educational purposes and does not constitute legal advice. Contact 1-888-ATTY-911 for a consultation regarding your specific situation.