Legally Reviewed by Joseph P. Williams on June 16, 2026
New Jersey has one of the highest mesothelioma death rates in the country — 6.8 per 100,000 residents, significantly above the national average of 4.9. From the refineries of Linden and Bayway to the shipyards of Camden and the manufacturing plants of Manville, the state’s industrial history left tens of thousands of workers exposed to asbestos over decades. Many are only now receiving diagnoses, due to mesothelioma’s 20 to 50 year latency period between exposure and disease.
At The Williams Law Firm, P.C., founding partner Joseph P. Williams has spent more than 30 years representing New Jersey mesothelioma victims and their families. He has never lost a mesothelioma case and has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars for clients across New York, New Jersey, Texas, and beyond. Attorney Williams handles all cases personally and will come to your home for the initial consultation. Contact us through our contact form for a free case review today.
⚠ Time-Sensitive — New Jersey Law Limits Your Window to File
Diagnosed with mesothelioma in New Jersey? New Jersey’s 2-year statute of limitations runs from your diagnosis date, not your exposure date.
Over 1,000 families represented. Hundreds of millions recovered. Joseph P. Williams has never lost a mesothelioma case. No fees unless we win.
New Jersey’s industrial landscape made it one of the most heavily asbestos-affected states in the country. The state was home to major shipyards, oil refineries, chemical plants, power stations, and manufacturing facilities that relied on asbestos-containing materials throughout the 20th century. Workers in these industries faced daily exposure to asbestos in insulation, pipe covering, boiler systems, construction materials, and process equipment. Because asbestos was used across so many industries, exposure was not limited to any one trade — painters, electricians, pipefitters, boilermakers, laborers, and even office workers in older industrial buildings faced elevated risk.
New Jersey also has a significant secondary exposure problem. Workers who were exposed on the job brought asbestos fibers home on their clothing, creating risk for spouses and children who had no occupational connection to asbestos at all. Learn more about second-hand asbestos exposure and the legal rights available to family members diagnosed as a result.
New Jersey workers encountered asbestos at hundreds of industrial sites across the state. Among the most heavily documented locations are the following:
Power Stations: PSE&G Linden Station, AC Electric Deepwater and Beesleys Point, JCP&L South Amboy and Sayreville, PSE&G Harrison and Hudson, Oyster Creek Nuclear Generating Station, Salem Nuclear Power Plant, and Hope Creek Nuclear Generating Station.
Oil Refineries: Bayway Refinery in Linden, Humble Oil in Linden, Exxon Mobil in Paulsboro, Citgo Petroleum in Deptford, Texaco in West Deptford, and Delmarva in Pennsville.
Manufacturing Facilities: Johns-Manville in Manville (one of the most notorious asbestos manufacturers in American history), Campbell Soup Company in Camden, American Steel in Trenton, Owens Corning Fiberglas in Berlin, DuPont in Pennsville, and Weyerhaeuser Paper Mill in Delair.
Chemical Companies: Hooker Chemical in Burlington, Allied Chemical, American Cyanamid in Bound Brook, and Thiokol Chemical in Trenton.
Shipyards: NY Shipbuilding Corporation (NY Ship) in Camden, which constructed and repaired naval vessels throughout both World Wars and beyond using asbestos in virtually every component of the ships.
Workers at these facilities, along with contractors and maintenance personnel who regularly moved between sites, accumulated significant asbestos fiber burdens over their careers. If you worked at any of these locations or a similar New Jersey industrial facility, inform your physician and contact an attorney immediately following any diagnosis of mesothelioma or another asbestos-related condition.
Asbestos exposure in New Jersey affected workers across a wide range of occupations and industries. The trades at highest risk based on documented New Jersey cases include insulators who applied and removed asbestos pipe and equipment insulation throughout the state’s refineries, power plants, and manufacturing facilities; pipefitters and steamfitters who worked with asbestos-wrapped pipe systems in industrial settings; construction workers who disturbed asbestos-containing building materials during construction and renovation; shipyard workers at the Camden NY Shipbuilding facility and surrounding yards who built and repaired asbestos-laden vessels; boilermakers and maintenance workers in the state’s refineries and power stations; and electricians and millwrights who worked throughout the state’s industrial facilities.
Military veterans who served at New Jersey installations, including Fort Dix, McGuire Air Force Base, and Earle Naval Weapons Station, also face elevated asbestos-related disease risk due to the widespread use of asbestos in military construction and equipment throughout the mid-20th century.
The data on mesothelioma in New Jersey reflects the state’s deep industrial asbestos exposure history. From 2015 through 2018, nearly 500 New Jersey residents were diagnosed with mesothelioma. The state’s asbestos-related death rate of 6.8 per 100,000 residents is well above the national average of 4.9 per 100,000. Certain New Jersey counties show rates more than double or triple the national average, reflecting concentrated industrial activity in those areas.
Among the counties with the highest estimated asbestos-related deaths in New Jersey between 1999 and 2017 are Ocean County (approximately 1,190 deaths), Camden County (approximately 1,113), Somerset County (approximately 1,057), Bergen County (approximately 1,053), and Middlesex County (approximately 994). These numbers reflect only documented cases — actual exposure levels and unreported or misdiagnosed cases may mean the true toll is significantly higher. According to the American Cancer Society, mesothelioma remains one of the most difficult cancers to detect early, making legal action and medical monitoring after known exposure critical.
New Jersey asbestos victims typically have access to two primary pathways for compensation, and in most cases both may be pursued simultaneously.
A personal injury lawsuit seeks compensation from the manufacturers and distributors of the asbestos-containing products responsible for a victim’s exposure. Wrongful death claims allow surviving family members to pursue the same compensation following a victim’s death. New Jersey mesothelioma cases are typically filed in Middlesex County Superior Court, which has a dedicated asbestos docket with experienced judges and established procedures for expediting cases involving seriously ill plaintiffs. Attorney Williams is experienced in the New Jersey asbestos litigation system and can navigate this process efficiently on your behalf.
More than 60 companies that manufactured and sold asbestos-containing products have declared bankruptcy and established dedicated asbestos trust funds to compensate victims. These claims are separate from civil lawsuits, resolve faster (often within 90 days), and do not require going to court. Because many different manufacturers’ products may have been used at a single New Jersey worksite, multiple trust fund claims can often be filed simultaneously. Trust fund claims and civil litigation are not mutually exclusive and can be pursued in parallel to maximize total recovery.
Establishing the source of asbestos exposure is one of the most important elements of a New Jersey mesothelioma claim. Attorney Williams and our legal team work to gather the evidence needed to document exactly where and how you were exposed, including the following types of records:
Even if you worked at a New Jersey site decades ago and are uncertain about the specific products you encountered, Attorney Williams has the investigative resources to identify responsible manufacturers and build a strong evidentiary record.
New Jersey mesothelioma lawsuits are filed in the Superior Court, with the majority of cases consolidated in Middlesex County’s dedicated asbestos docket. The court has established expedited procedures for cases involving plaintiffs who are seriously ill, which can significantly reduce the time from filing to resolution. The litigation process typically includes filing the complaint and serving defendants, the discovery phase during which both sides exchange evidence and conduct depositions, expert witness preparation (medical experts, industrial hygienists, product identification experts), settlement negotiations with individual defendants, and trial if settlement is not reached. Most New Jersey mesothelioma cases resolve through settlement rather than trial, but Attorney Williams is a seasoned trial lawyer who has tried hundreds of cases before juries and is fully prepared to take your case to verdict if that is what achieving justice requires.
New Jersey law imposes strict filing deadlines on asbestos claims. For personal injury claims, the statute of limitations is two years from the date of diagnosis. For wrongful death claims brought by surviving family members, the deadline is two years from the date of death. The clock runs from diagnosis or death, not from the original asbestos exposure, which is particularly important given mesothelioma’s 20 to 50 year latency period — New Jersey workers exposed in the 1960s and 1970s are still receiving diagnoses today and remain within the filing window if recently diagnosed.
Missing these deadlines permanently extinguishes your right to compensation, regardless of the strength of your case. Contacting an attorney immediately after a diagnosis is the single most important step to protect your rights. Trust fund claims operate on different timelines but should be pursued as promptly as possible to preserve the strongest evidentiary record.
Victims and families who successfully pursue New Jersey mesothelioma claims may recover compensation for a wide range of losses, including past and future medical expenses related to diagnosis and treatment, lost wages and future earning capacity, pain and suffering, loss of enjoyment of life, loss of consortium and companionship for surviving spouses, and funeral and burial costs in wrongful death cases. In cases where the defendant’s conduct was particularly reckless or egregious, punitive damages may also be available. Mesothelioma compensation can come through settlement, trial verdict, and trust fund distributions, with the total recovery depending on the number of liable defendants, the strength of the exposure evidence, and the specific losses incurred.
Attorney Joseph P. Williams brings a combination of legal credentials, personal dedication, and an undefeated mesothelioma track record that sets The Williams Law Firm apart from the high-volume national firms that handle hundreds of cases at a time through teams of junior attorneys. Attorney Williams personally handles every mesothelioma case — no case is assigned to a less experienced attorney or managed by an associate while the founding partner’s name appears on the letterhead. He meets with clients in their homes because he understands that seriously ill mesothelioma patients should not have to travel for legal consultations.
Attorney Williams was recognized by the National Association of Distinguished Counsel as a Nation’s Top One Percent attorney, is included in New York Super Lawyers, is a member of the Million-Dollar Advocates Forum, and holds a Superb Avvo Rating. He is a member of the American Association for Justice and the National Trial Lawyers Top 100 Trial Lawyers. He has successfully handled over a dozen consolidated trial groups of up to ten mesothelioma cases simultaneously — a level of experience that translates directly into stronger outcomes for individual clients.
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Client Review: 5/5
“The Joseph Williams Law Office has been very kind, professional, and knowledgeable. They have helped our family through a very difficult time and I would recommend their services to anyone that needs help.”
— Lindsta Ann, Verified Client
If you worked at a New Jersey industrial site, refinery, shipyard, power station, or construction project before 1980 and have been diagnosed with mesothelioma, asbestosis, or asbestos-related lung cancer, you likely have grounds to pursue a legal claim. New Jersey has some of the country’s highest mesothelioma rates, reflecting the density of asbestos use in the state’s industrial history. Attorney Williams can evaluate your exposure history and medical diagnosis in a free consultation to determine your eligibility.
In New Jersey, the statute of limitations for personal injury mesothelioma claims is two years from the date of diagnosis. For wrongful death claims brought by surviving family members, the deadline is two years from the date of the victim’s death. Because mesothelioma develops 20 to 50 years after exposure, workers exposed in the 1960s and 1970s who have recently been diagnosed are still within the filing window. Contacting an attorney immediately after diagnosis is essential to protect your rights.
The Williams Law Firm handles all New Jersey mesothelioma and asbestos cases on a contingency fee basis, meaning there are no upfront costs and no attorney fees of any kind unless and until compensation is recovered on your behalf. This arrangement ensures that the firm’s interests are fully aligned with yours and that cost is never a barrier to pursuing justice for a serious illness caused by someone else’s negligence.
Yes. Family members who developed mesothelioma or another asbestos-related disease from secondary exposure may file their own personal injury claims. Surviving spouses and children of workers who have died from mesothelioma may file wrongful death claims. New Jersey law fully recognizes both types of family member claims. If a victim had already filed a lawsuit before passing away, that lawsuit can be continued and converted to a wrongful death action, preserving all prior evidence and filings.
New Jersey’s most documented asbestos exposure sites include Johns-Manville in Manville, the Bayway and Humble Oil refineries in Linden, PSE&G power stations in Linden and Sayreville, NY Shipbuilding Corporation in Camden, and chemical plants including American Cyanamid in Bound Brook and DuPont in Pennsville. Workers at these facilities, along with contractors who regularly serviced them, face among the highest documented mesothelioma risks in the state.
If you or a family member has been diagnosed with mesothelioma or another asbestos-related illness connected to work or exposure in New Jersey, The Williams Law Firm, P.C. is prepared to fight for the compensation your family deserves. Attorney Joseph P. Williams has never lost a mesothelioma case, handles every case personally, and will travel to your home anywhere in New Jersey or New York to begin work on your claim. He takes all cases on a contingency fee basis, meaning there are no costs unless compensation is recovered.
Reach out through our contact form to schedule a free case evaluation today. Time is limited under New Jersey’s 2-year statute of limitations, and acting promptly after a diagnosis is the most important step to securing your legal rights.
Get a copy of our FREE mesothelioma e-book by attorney Joseph Williams
We use cookies to improve your experience on our site. By using our site, you consent to cookies.
Manage your cookie preferences below:
Essential cookies enable basic functions and are necessary for the proper function of the website.
CloudFlare provides web performance and security solutions, enhancing site speed and protecting against threats.
Service URL: developers.cloudflare.com (opens in a new window)
These cookies are needed for adding comments on this website.
Google Tag Manager simplifies the management of marketing tags on your website without code changes.
Statistics cookies collect information anonymously. This information helps us understand how visitors use our website.
Google Analytics is a powerful tool that tracks and analyzes website traffic for informed marketing decisions.
Service URL: policies.google.com (opens in a new window)
Clarity is a web analytics service that tracks and reports website traffic.
Service URL: clarity.microsoft.com (opens in a new window)
