Client Quotes

Feature Letter

“My family and I want you to know that you have served us well, and we are ever so grateful to you and all your staff for the intense work you are doing with the mesothelioma asbestos cases! I hope the story below relates our experience with your firm, and gives a little insight into how our experience made a huge difference in the lives of H.S.’s family. Everyone loved my dad. He was an honorable man who valued even the smallest things in life and never wavered in his beliefs about how things ought to be. My dad was a little Polish man who stood high on principles. His work ethic was impeccable, his religious beliefs un-wavered and he was a proud patriot. When our parents divorced and our mother left us behind, the courts were going to remove all six of us children from the home. My dad begged and pleaded with the judge to let him keep us. He cried and threw himself at the mercy of the court. (As told to us by other family members.) I was the oldest at sixteen years of age and my baby brother was three. Had it not been for my dad’s values and principles, we would have all been separated from each other and placed in foster homes; and that would have included the baby, too. We were never wealthy; in fact we grew up in poverty and lived in a house in an industrial area between rail lines and factories. There were many times when dad couldn’t pay the bills, and utilities would get shut off. On many occasions, the water would be turned off for non-payment of the bill, and dad would go outside in the middle of the night, lift the manhole cover off the sewer that was in the street in front of the house, then climb down the iron ladder and turn the water to the house back on just long enough for everyone to take showers and do some quick laundry. Before daylight, he would return to the sewer and turn the water back off before anyone discovered what he had done. It was not unusual for our family to eat popcorn and kool-aid for dinner or bread and ketchup sandwiches, as fifty cents would purchase enough to feed all seven of us. To make matters worse, our house suffered from a major fire. Not once, but twice, and dad had no property insurance. Dad never had a savings account with more than $200 a month in it. He bought most of his clothes at thrift shops. Somehow he always persevered and taught his children life-long lessons in the process. Dad developed diabetes in his later years, was legally blind and hard of hearing, but he was the best father and grandfather one could ever imagine! At various times during his retirement, dad had one of the grand daughters living with him as they each made their exit from high school and their entrance to independence. There was no better place to go and no one better to teach valuable lessons and a good work ethic, than grandpa. The girls bought most of the groceries and cleaned and cooked for grandpa while they lived there. Little did they know, that time with him would be so precious! Only in his last few years was dad able to pay his bills, tithe at his church and splurge on a season ticket to the University of Michigan football games. Occasionally, he could even afford to give his grand children a little something for their birthdays. When dad began to get sick with lung issues such as pneumonia and pleural effusions, we began worrying and how we were going to afford all the additional medical expenses and prescriptions. Dad had nothing of value to sell other than a mobile home appraised for $4000. Then he was diagnosed with mesothelioma, and we were told it was terminal with a short life expectancy. How would we ever pay for a funeral let alone the medical expenses? We worried about dad’s spirit and all the issues he began to have with his health. Before we even told dad about his disease, we talked about selling things, getting second jobs or taking out a loan. While most of us six children had jobs, none of us were living without financial worry. We may have made it out of poverty, but none of us has ever forgotten the poverty we lived in! One night, just after dad’s diagnosis, I contacted CHLW. Within a short time, someone from your office in Texas was sitting at my father’s kitchen table in Michigan. In utter disbelief we listened to the attorney tell my Dad about asbestos exposure, and how executives of major companies made decisions to manufacture and supply products they knew would make people sick. We began to feel a sincere sadness, not only for our dad, but for all the other victims of this disease. Even before our dad died, we felt victimized and robbed of a life that was so very precious to six children and ten grand children. CHLW acted quickly. Despite our dad’s skepticism, you never made it difficult for him. You explained things in a way that he could understand, and you made him comfortable and at ease. Dad thought the attorneys were kind and patient. He couldn’t believe that complete strangers cared about him and his welfare, and were willing to travel all the way to Michigan to talk to him about his disease. When they arrived, they were very knowledgeable about mesothelioma and knew all the right questions to ask dad. Dad, of course, loved the opportunity to talk about the old life, where he lived, what he did as a boy and later in life as an adult. The attorneys were so very interested and never lost patience with dad’s hearing and sight deficit. Amazingly, a couple of checks arrived in just a few short weeks. Dad went from being a skeptic and feeling hopeless to being optimistic and determined to enjoy whatever time he had left. Dad tried several medical experiments, but they only made his quality of life worse, so he decided to carry on as normal of a life as he could. His medical expenses in the last year alone were $6,500 over what his health insurance covered. Thank God for those first few checks. Dad was able to pay his medical bills, and we were able to make him comfortable and put something away for his funeral. With the financial worry out of the way, we were able to concentrate of dad’s life! The funny thing is, whenever we asked dad if he wanted or needed anything, he always said he had everything he needed! For the first time in his life he had a little money to spare, but he couldn’t think of anything he wanted. Dad got extremely tired and weak and was homebound for his last three to four months. He had lost his appetite and his will to eat and lost more than 25 pounds in four weeks. His mind started to wander, but his humor and his spirit never failed. He was a treasure right up to the very end. Thanks to some of the settlement money, one of us was able to work part-time, and with the help of hospice, take care of dad until he finally passed. After slipping into a coma, he died very peacefully in his sleep. We were grateful for the time we had, and in the end, we were able to send dad off with the honor and respect he deserved. The money our family has received from the asbestos lawsuits since his death will not even begin to bring our dad back, but we know that with each and every check we receive, dad is there smiling down on his six children and ten grand children and feeling such a great sense of relief. Our pain is still fresh as we approach the one year anniversary of his passing, but we want to send blessings and our deepest gratitude to Cooper, Hart, Leggiero & Whitehead for your kindness, patience with us, support and quick action with our dad’s lawsuits! Godspeed for the rest of the victims!” S.S. (daughter of H.T.S.) Michigan

“Cooper, Hart, Leggiero & Whitehead has been such a blessing to my family.  The staff has always been courteous and compassionate in dealing with sometimes difficult issues associated with the death of my husband.  My husband and I were impressed with how the face-to-face meeting was handled when he was diagnosed with mesothelioma – your representative was really professional, compassionate, patient and kind in dealing with us.”

C.L.L. (wife of J.F.L.)
Wisconsin

 
“Cooper, Hart, Leggiero & Whitehead represented my late husband in a mesothelioma lawsuit.  All the individuals we dealt with in the firm were courteous and professional.  They went out of their way to keep us informed about court actions and any other activity that involved our case.  They were responsive to all questions, and always made us feel that they were looking out for our best interests.  This continued even after my husband passed away and I was left to deal with this on my own.  I would recommend CHLW to others who need responsive, caring legal representation.”

E.L.S. (wife of J.D.S.)
Alabama

 
“I am totally grateful for your sincere consideration and understanding of this difficult time in our lives.  We are grateful for the monies sent, as it makes our lives a little more comfortable.  (But I feel I must emphasize no amount of money will ever take the place of my husband.)  I would gladly give it back if we could have had him healthy and with us.  With this money I have set up college accounts for his two grand children and shared monies with his two children and my one child; it has helped them tremendously.  It has made my life very comfortable.

My prayer is that those companies will not use products that cause harm to hard working people.  I can only speak for my husband, but he was hard working and took very good care of his home and his possessions.  He was conservative and waiting for retirement, had his home paid off and was just waiting to enjoy life.  I know you do not know what life has in store for you, but I wish we could have had him a little longer.

Thank you very much from us all.”

M.J.B. (wife of J.H.B)
Wisconsin

 
“My husband was diagnosed with mesothelioma in September, 2005.  We were encouraged by friends to call CHLW, but were very reluctant to do so.  What could they possibly do for us?  Thank goodness we did finally place that first call!  Our relationship with CHLW has been nothing but positive.  My husband passed away in January, 2006, and you’re still there for me working on his behalf.  Thank you.”

R.B. (wife of K.A.B.)
Wisconsin

 
“On behalf of my family, I would like to thank you for all your firm has done for us.  Your professionalism and compassion is appreciated.  Thanks for working so hard for us.”

J.B.C. (wife of W.D.C.)
Tennessee

 
“I am so pleased with your group of employees.  My dealings with your company have never been anything but pleasant.  When I have had to contact your office, my calls are always returned very promptly.  The employees are always very pleasant and comforting on the phone.  The retrieval of funds due to my husband’s exposure to asbestos, has definitely been nothing but generous and very, very much needed.  I so much appreciate all you guys and God Bless you all.”

S.S.F. (wife of J.G.F.)
Tennessee

 
“I thank God that I contacted Cooper, Hart, Leggiero & Whitehead when my husband became ill.  From the time I first met with your attorney until now, I feel very blessed.  The money doesn’t begin to take away the loss I feel daily and will feel until the day I join G.  It has, however, enabled me to see our daughter have a wonderful wedding, and have less daily worries.  I would sincerely recommend your law firm to anyone in my situation.  I thank you all from the bottom of my heart.”

D.L.S. (wife of G.L.S.)
Wisconsin

 
“We appreciate all your efforts on our behalf.  If it weren’t for the research and background work my precious father did, we wouldn’t be receiving these checks.  I just wish he was here and able to enjoy a little bit from his (and your) efforts.  We would be lost without your help.  I wouldn’t know where to start.  You don’t know how much better your work has made our lives.”

B.J.F. (daughter of M.T.L.)
Alabama

 
“I will be forever thankful that we contacted your law firm after R. was diagnosed with mesothelioma.  Your immediate response to our inquiry was very reassuring, especially because it was in person.  True, no compensation can replace a loved one, but the compensation we/I have received has made my life less stressful.”

B.J.A. (wife of R.J.A., Jr.)
Mississippi

 
“You have been a pleasant experience in spite of the outcome of G.’s death which was such a shock as he was only sick two months.  Mesothelioma is a horrible disease, and you have helped me with my loss.  G. would have been very pleased to know I am still being taken care of even in his absence.”

E.W.B. (wife of G.J.B.)
Illinois

 
“I have never had to deal with lawyers before, so I really had no idea what to expect.  Your law firm has been very professional on the phone and in person.  When I was going through everything after D.’s death, your office had to contact me several times regarding paperwork I would send back wrong.  They were very understanding.  A part of me thought after D. passed that I would not hear from your firm.  That was not the case then, nor is it now.  I truly appreciate everything you have done for me.  When you say you do it all – you really do.  Thank you.”

S.A.B. (wife of D.G.B.)
Indiana

 
“I am so appreciative and thankful for all you have done for me.  Your firm has gone the extra mile for me.  My husband would be so grateful for the friendly way you have treated me.  It helped him so much to know that I would be taken care of.  It was so hard losing him, but it did help to know I didn’t have to worry about how I would get by financially.  Again, I want to express my humble thanks.  You will never know how much you are appreciated.  God Bless you.”

B.J.H. (wife of H.H.H.)
Illinois