People in Iowa with an interest in filing a Iowa mesothelioma lawsuit or hiring a iowa mesothelioma attorney should know that the statute of limitations for personal injury law in Iowa is two years with a discovery rule stating that this amount of time begins when the problem (in this case the mesothelioma) either was discovered or should have been discovered. Wrongful death cases fall under the same statute of limitations and follow the same discovery rule. However, Iowa’s Supreme Court has adopted a “separate injury rule” that allows a plaintiff to file an Iowa mesothelioms lawsuit for asbestos cancer regardless of whether the victim had developed asbestosis at a much earlier date.

Under this rule, the discovery of asbestosis does not trigger the statute of limitations on asbestos-related diseases that develop later, including cancers such as mesothelioma, allowing victims of such cancers to hire an iowa mesothelioma attorney and pursue compensation for their disease. This means that mesothelioma victims in Iowa who have discovered the disease after having first developed asbestosis can file an Iowa mesothelioma lawsuit within the statute of limitations related to the discovery date of the cancer.

With 21 mesothelioma-related deaths in 1999, Iowa ranks 33 in the nation for mesothelioma cases. So while this issue is one of concern in the state, it is not pressing in comparison to a majority of states in the nation. Perhaps for this reason, there is not a significant number of high-profile mesothelioma or asbestos-related cases in the state. Oftentimes, when the issue arises, it results in mesothelioma settlement. For example, in 2004, Sioux City was awarded a $7,500 settlement from Wisconsin-based Old Republic Surety Company for rubble containing asbestos that resulted from the demolition of part of the Livestock Exchange Building. A clean-up plan was put in place and there are no known cases (as of yet) of asbestos-related disease caused by the construction-based asbestos exposure.