Texas Mesothelioma Lawyers
Danziger & De Llano LLP attorneys representing clients in Texas
Danziger & De Llano, LLP is a Houston-based mesothelioma law firm representing Texas asbestos victims and their families. Founding partners Paul Danziger (Texas Bar #00788880) and Rod De Llano (Texas Bar #00786666) have spent the last 25+ years exclusively on asbestos litigation. Paul has recovered over $2 billion for asbestos victims; together the partners have over 50 years of combined legal experience. Our principal office is in Houston, and we represent clients in all 50 states through co-counsel arrangements where required.
Texas ranks among the highest states for mesothelioma diagnosis due to decades of asbestos exposure at Gulf Coast refineries, shipyards, and petrochemical plants. As a Houston-headquartered firm, our attorneys can meet Texas clients in person, visit them at home or at MD Anderson, and have first-hand knowledge of the Houston Ship Channel, Beaumont-Port Arthur, Texas City, and Corpus Christi exposure sites.
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40+ Years
Texas Experience
$30B+
In Trust Funds Available
2 Years
Texas Filing Deadline
$0
Unless You Win
Texas mesothelioma victims face a critical 2-year statute of limitations from diagnosis, making immediate legal consultation essential for preserving compensation rights. The state's extensive petrochemical industry, Gulf Coast shipyards, and industrial manufacturing created one of the nation's highest concentrations of occupational asbestos exposure—a 56-year follow-up study of over 10,600 Texas refinery workers found maintenance employees with a decade or more of exposure showed mesothelioma rates 7.5 times higher than expected. Over 60 active asbestos trust funds holding more than $30 billion remain available for Texas victims, with average combined recoveries ranging from $300,000 to $500,000 when claims are filed strategically across multiple trusts. Danziger & De Llano's Houston headquarters provides Texas families with both specialized expertise and local presence throughout the legal process.
This section examines the industrial factors that created widespread asbestos exposure across Texas, from Gulf Coast refineries to commercial shipyards.
Texas hosts massive petrochemical complexes along the Gulf Coast, with Houston, Beaumont-Port Arthur, and Corpus Christi serving as major refining centers. The 2017 CDC analysis of malignant mesothelioma deaths ranked petroleum refining as the second highest industry among 207 occupational categories. Miles of high-temperature pipelines, distillation towers, catalytic cracking units, and virtually every component handling hot materials required thermal insulation—nearly always containing asbestos from the 1940s through 1980s.
Corporate knowledge of asbestos dangers dates to the 1930s, yet oil companies continued installing asbestos throughout refinery infrastructure for decades. By 1937, the American Petroleum Institute warned of insulation dust hazards; by 1945, Shell Oil knew asbestos caused cancer. Despite this knowledge, refineries installed asbestos-containing materials while providing inadequate warnings to workers.
"The Gulf Coast petrochemical corridor represents one of the most concentrated areas of occupational asbestos exposure in the country. Workers at facilities from Houston to New Orleans faced decades of exposure, and we're still seeing new diagnoses emerge from those years of corporate negligence."
— Rod De Llano, Founding Partner, Danziger & De Llano
Texas asbestos exposure occurred across multiple industries, with the highest concentrations in petrochemical refineries, shipbuilding and repair facilities, power generation plants, and construction trades. American shipyards employed millions of workers during the 20th century, with peak employment during World War II and the Cold War. Asbestos was used extensively in ship construction, repair, and overhaul operations, creating one of the largest occupational exposure cohorts in U.S. history.
Extreme Exposure:
Insulators/Laggers, Boilermakers, Pipefitters, Refinery Maintenance Workers
Very High Exposure:
Electricians, Machinists, Welders, Sheet Metal Workers
High Exposure:
Carpenters, Painters, Laborers, Construction Workers
Moderate Exposure:
Process Operators, Control Room Personnel, Supervisors
Workers in all shipyard trades faced exposure, but those in engine rooms, boiler spaces, and insulation work faced the highest concentrations—often exceeding safe limits by 100 times or more. Insulators specifically showed standardized mortality ratios of 3,029, meaning their mesothelioma death rate was 30 times higher than the general population.
This section explains the critical time limits for filing mesothelioma claims in Texas and strategies for protecting your legal rights.
Texas Statute of Limitations: 2 Years
Texas imposes a 2-year statute of limitations for mesothelioma personal injury claims, calculated from the date of diagnosis or discovery of the asbestos-related disease under the discovery rule. Wrongful death claims also carry a 2-year deadline.
The statute of limitations represents the most unforgiving aspect of mesothelioma litigation because courts have absolutely no discretion to accept late filings regardless of circumstances. Unlike other procedural requirements that might be waived, corrected, or excused, missing your filing deadline permanently extinguishes all legal rights to compensation. Even the strongest case with overwhelming evidence becomes worthless the moment the deadline passes.
"The statute of limitations is the first thing we evaluate in any mesothelioma case. We've seen too many families lose their entire claim—sometimes worth over a million dollars—simply because they waited too long to call. If you've been diagnosed, protecting your deadline is as important as starting treatment."
— Paul Danziger, Founding Partner, Danziger & De Llano
Texas applies the discovery rule, which starts the deadline clock when a victim receives their diagnosis or when they knew or should have known about the disease's connection to asbestos. This principle, established in Borel v. Fibreboard (1973), recognizes that mesothelioma's 20-50 year latency period would otherwise eliminate all claims before patients even knew they were sick.
This section examines the multiple compensation pathways available to Texas mesothelioma victims, including trust funds, lawsuits, and veteran benefits.
Texas mesothelioma victims can pursue compensation through multiple channels simultaneously. Individual lawsuit settlements for refinery workers typically range from $1.5 to $4.5 million, while mass settlements involving groups of affected workers have reached $178-187 million. Major oil companies including ExxonMobil and equipment manufacturers remain viable defendants in ongoing litigation.
Over 60 active asbestos bankruptcy trusts currently hold more than $30 billion in assets designated to compensate mesothelioma victims. These trusts were established when asbestos manufacturers faced bankruptcy from overwhelming litigation, creating streamlined compensation systems that operate parallel to traditional lawsuits. Average mesothelioma claimants recover between $300,000 and $500,000 when filing strategically across multiple trusts, with exceptional cases recovering over $1 million.
NARCO Trust: 100% payment rate, average mesothelioma payment $238,000
Pittsburgh Corning Trust: 19% payment rate, $3.41 billion initial funding
W.R. Grace Trust: 30.1% payment rate, $1.5-1.84 billion current assets
Owens Corning/Fibreboard: 4.7% payment rate, $4.9 billion combined funding
Johns-Manville Trust: 5.1% payment rate, over 850,000 claims processed since 1988
Texas refinery workers typically qualify for claims against multiple trusts based on the variety of products they encountered—insulation from Johns-Manville and Owens Corning, gaskets from Garlock and Flexitallic, and other asbestos materials from dozens of manufacturers. Expedited trust fund claims typically process within 90 days—far faster than traditional litigation—with approval rates exceeding 92% when filed with proper documentation.
Veterans diagnosed with mesothelioma represent 30% of all U.S. cases, with Navy personnel experiencing the highest exposure rates due to widespread asbestos use aboard ships from the 1930s through 1980s. The Department of Veterans Affairs provides automatic 100% disability ratings worth $3,831.30 monthly for single veterans in 2025.
Critically, federal regulation 38 CFR § 17.106 explicitly prohibits reducing VA disability compensation based on settlements or trust fund payments. This means Texas veterans can receive VA benefits, trust fund payments, AND civil lawsuit settlements simultaneously without any offset—combined recoveries can exceed $2.4 million.
"Many veterans don't realize that VA disability claims and civil lawsuits have completely independent deadlines. Filing for VA benefits does not toll, extend, or otherwise affect the statute of limitations for lawsuits against asbestos manufacturers. We've seen too many veterans lose valuable civil claims by assuming their VA filing protected all their rights. Veterans can and should pursue both simultaneously."
— Rod De Llano, Founding Partner, Danziger & De Llano
Danziger & De Llano is led by two founding partners who have spent their entire careers on plaintiff-side asbestos litigation. Together they have over 50 years of combined legal experience exclusively on mesothelioma litigation. Founding partner Paul Danziger has recovered more than $2 billion for asbestos victims and their families.
Founding Partner • Texas Bar #00788880
Founding Partner • Texas Bar #00786666
Learn more about the firm at dandell.com.
The following recoveries were achieved by Danziger & De Llano on behalf of mesothelioma victims and their families. Amounts shown are after attorneys' fees and case expenses — what the client received directly. Case details are summarized to protect client privacy.
| Recovery | Case Summary |
|---|---|
| $6,142,650 | 68-year-old woman — mesothelioma from secondary exposure (laundering husband's asbestos-contaminated work clothes during his general contracting career) |
| $5,939,010 | 46-year-old man — mesothelioma after asbestos exposure during boat repair and demolition work |
| $4,750,000 | 49-year-old veteran — mesothelioma after asbestos exposure during Navy career |
| $3,921,750 | 68-year-old veteran — mesothelioma after exposure during Navy service, construction, and auto-mechanics work |
| $3,600,450 | 67-year-old veteran — mesothelioma after Navy service and work as a construction contractor |
Past results do not guarantee future outcomes. Every case is different and recoveries depend on the specific facts and circumstances. Verified case results sourced from mesothelioma.net.
This section documents the major industrial facilities where Texas workers encountered asbestos, including refineries, shipyards, and manufacturing plants.
The concentration of petroleum refining along the Texas-Louisiana Gulf Coast created the nation's highest regional mesothelioma rates. Louisiana processes approximately one-fifth of total U.S. refining capacity, while Texas hosts massive petrochemical complexes along the Gulf Coast with Houston, Beaumont-Port Arthur, and Corpus Christi serving as major refining centers.
Houston Ship Channel refineries, ExxonMobil Baytown complex, Shell Deer Park, LyondellBasell Houston, and numerous petrochemical facilities
Motiva Port Arthur (largest U.S. refinery), ExxonMobil Beaumont, Valero Port Arthur, and Golden Triangle petrochemical corridor
CITGO refinery, Flint Hills Resources, Valero refineries, and coastal petrochemical operations
Marathon Galveston Bay, Valero Texas City, and industrial chemical manufacturing facilities
Asbestos was used in virtually every shipboard system: pipe covering, boiler lagging, turbine wrapping, bulkhead panels, deck underlayment, valve packing, and structural adhesives. Documented shipyard facilities numbered 25+ with peak combined employment of over 1.5 million workers during World War II. Texas facilities included:
Many Texas shipyard workers also traveled to the nearby Avondale Shipyard in New Orleans, Louisiana—one of the largest commercial shipyards in the United States—creating additional exposure pathways for Gulf Coast residents.
This section explains why Danziger & De Llano's Houston headquarters provides unique advantages for Texas mesothelioma victims.
Our attorneys have represented workers from virtually every major Texas industrial facility for over 40 years. We maintain detailed documentation of exposure conditions at Houston Ship Channel refineries, Beaumont-Port Arthur petrochemical plants, and Gulf Coast shipyards—knowledge that directly strengthens your claim.
When you work with a Houston firm, you can meet your attorneys in person. We can visit you at your home or hospital if travel is difficult. Your case isn't just a file number—it's a relationship with people who understand Texas communities and the industries that defined them.
While we're Houston-based, we handle cases nationwide and maintain relationships with co-counsel in every state. This means we can file your case in the most favorable jurisdiction—Texas courts, Madison County Illinois, or wherever strategic venue selection maximizes your recovery.
Mesothelioma and asbestos litigation is our focus—not one practice area among dozens. We maintain exposure databases, work with leading medical experts, and have handled cases involving refineries, shipyards, power plants, and manufacturing facilities across Texas and the entire Gulf Coast region.
"In our decades representing refinery workers, we've seen consistent patterns where exposure levels far exceeded what anyone considered safe, even by the standards of the time. The combination of high-temperature processes, confined spaces, and thousands of asbestos-containing components created unavoidable daily hazards."
— Paul Danziger, Founding Partner, Danziger & De Llano
This section explains what to expect when you reach out for a free case review—so you can make an informed decision about whether to take the next step.
An attorney or senior case manager will call to discuss your situation. This is not a sales call—it's a fact-finding conversation. We'll ask about the diagnosis, when it occurred, and what you know about potential asbestos exposure at Texas facilities. This call typically takes 15-30 minutes.
Based on our conversation, we'll assess whether we can help and what compensation sources may be available—including which of the 60+ asbestos trust funds you may qualify for. We'll be honest: not every inquiry becomes a case. If we're not the right fit, we'll try to point you toward resources that may be helpful.
If we believe we can help and you decide to hire us, we'll begin the exposure investigation—reconstructing the work history to identify every potential defendant and trust fund claim. We handle all the legal work; you focus on your health and family. We only get paid if you receive compensation.
"The first call is really about listening. We need to understand your situation before we can tell you whether we can help. There's no pressure, no obligation. If after talking with us you decide to go another direction—different firm, no attorney at all—that's completely fine. Our job in that first conversation is to give you the information you need to make the right decision for your family."
— Paul Danziger, Founding Partner, Danziger & De Llano
Texas imposes a 2-year statute of limitations for mesothelioma claims, calculated from the date of diagnosis under the discovery rule. This deadline applies to both personal injury and wrongful death claims. Missing this deadline permanently eliminates all rights to compensation, regardless of how strong your case may be.
Yes. Trust fund claims and lawsuits operate on completely independent tracks. Most Texas mesothelioma victims pursue both simultaneously—trust fund payments provide faster financial relief (averaging 90 days) while litigation proceeds toward potentially larger recovery. This dual-track strategy typically maximizes total compensation.
Mesothelioma attorneys work on contingency—there is no upfront cost, and you pay nothing unless you receive compensation. The initial case evaluation is completely free, and all investigation, filing, and legal work is handled at the firm's expense until recovery is achieved.
Multiple exposure sites often strengthen your case and increase available compensation. Each facility represents potential claims against different manufacturers' products and different trust funds. Our exposure investigation process identifies all potential sources, which typically results in 5-8 qualifying trust fund claims per victim.
Yes. Texas allows both survival actions (continuing the deceased's personal injury claim) and wrongful death claims (filed by family members). Both carry 2-year deadlines—survival actions from diagnosis, wrongful death from date of death. Family members should seek immediate legal counsel to protect all available rights.
If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with mesothelioma after working at a Texas refinery, shipyard, or industrial facility, we're here to help you understand what compensation may be available. The consultation is free, confidential, and comes with no obligation.
Available 24/7. No fee unless you receive compensation.
Texas has a 2-year statute of limitations for mesothelioma personal injury claims (Texas Civil Practice & Remedies Code § 16.003), running from the date of diagnosis. Wrongful death claims also have a 2-year deadline. As a Houston-based firm, Danziger & De Llano has 30+ years of experience with Texas asbestos cases.
Texas has the highest mesothelioma diagnosis rate of any U.S. state, driven by decades of petrochemical refinery work along the Gulf Coast. Major sites include the Houston Ship Channel refineries (ExxonMobil, Shell, Dow Chemical), Beaumont and Port Arthur refineries, Corpus Christi Naval Air Station, and Texas City industrial facilities.
The Houston Ship Channel corridor — the largest petrochemical complex in the Western Hemisphere — used massive quantities of asbestos in pipe insulation, boiler systems, and industrial equipment from the 1940s through the 1980s. Construction, military bases, and offshore oil work also contribute.
Yes. Texas has favorable venue rules for asbestos litigation, and courts in Harris County (Houston) have extensive experience with these cases. Attorneys routinely file against manufacturers headquartered in other states or countries using defendant databases built over decades of litigation.
MD Anderson Cancer Center (Houston) is widely considered one of the top cancer centers in the world, with one of the highest volumes of mesothelioma cases nationally. Other major programs include UT Southwestern Medical Center (Dallas) and Baylor College of Medicine (Houston).
The Firm
Houston-based asbestos litigation firm representing Texas victims for 40+ years. Meet the attorneys, view results, and learn about the firm.
Medical Reference
Encyclopedic reference on mesothelioma — diagnosis, staging, treatment options, clinical trials, and prognosis.
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Complete guide to the $30+ billion available from 60+ active trusts
$3,831/month VA disability plus trust fund compensation for veterans
Answers to common questions about diagnosis, treatment, and legal options
Attorney Advertising. This website is designed for general information only. The information presented at this site should not be construed as formal legal advice nor the formation of a lawyer/client relationship. Past results do not guarantee future outcomes. Every case is different, and compensation depends on the specific facts and circumstances of your situation. Danziger & De Llano, LLP is responsible for the content of this website. Principal office: Houston, Texas. In states where Danziger & De Llano attorneys are not admitted, the firm associates with local co-counsel.
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