Lakeville is a suburb 23 miles (37 km) south of downtown Minneapolis in the U.S. state of Minnesota in Dakota County. On the south metro fringe, Lakeville is one of the fastest growing cities in the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area. The U.S. Census Bureau recorded the population of the city of Lakeville at 43,128 people in 2000. The Metropolitan Council estimate for 2006 was 52,323. Lakeville is located on Interstate Highway 35. With an interstate highway link to the Twin Cities and undeveloped land, Lakeville has grown at rapid pace in the region's exurbia. The city became notable in 1910 when Marion Savage built the Dan Patch Railroad Line to service his Antlers Amusement Park. Subsequently, Lakeville became a flourishing milling center from this line and today, the agriculture industry still is in operation. While a significant percentage of Lakeville's workers commute northward to the downtowns of Minneapolis and St. Paul, and closer-in suburbs like Bloomington, Lakeville has had major industry since the 1960s—including the Airlake Industrial Park, which is served by Airlake Airport, a regional reliever airport.

What is toxic tort law?

Toxic Tort cases involve people who have been injured through exposure to dangerous pharmaceuticals or chemical substances in the environment, on the job, or in consumer products -- including carcinogenic agents, lead, benzene, silica, harmful solvents, hazardous waste, and pesticides to name a few.

Most toxic tort cases have arisen either from exposure to pharmaceutical drugs or occupational exposures. Most pharmaceutical toxic injury cases are mass tort cases, because drugs are consumed by thousands of people, many of whom become ill from a toxic drug. There have also been many occupational toxic tort cases, because industrial and other workers are often chronically exposed to toxic chemicals - more so than consumers and residents. Most of the law in this area arises from asbestos exposure, but thousands of toxic chemicals are used in industry and workers in these areas can experience a variety of toxic injuries. Unlike the general population, which is exposed to trace amounts of thousands of different chemicals in the environment, industrial workers are regularly exposed to much higher levels of chemicals and therefore have a greater risk of developing disease from particular chemical exposures than the general population. The home has recently become the subject of toxic tort litigation, mostly due to mold contamination, but also due to construction materials such as formaldehyde-treated wood and carpet. Toxic tort cases also arise when people are exposed to consumer products such as pesticides and suffer injury. Lastly, people can also be injured from environmental toxins in the air or in drinking water.

Answers to toxic tort law issues in Minnesota

In certain kinds of cases, lawyers charge what is called a contingency fee. Instead of billing by the hour, the...

Because of the health problems caused by lead poisoning, the federal Residential Lead-Based Paint Hazard Reduction...

Property owners may be liable for tenant health problems caused by exposure to environmental hazards, such as...

In general, mass tort cases involve a large number of individual claimants with claims associated with a single...