Legally Reviewed by Michael Throneberry, Attorney. President, National Trial Lawyers Asbestos & Mesothelioma Bar (2025 and 2026).
If you or a family member has mesothelioma and worked in Illinois, you may be able to file a claim. Illinois steel mills, refineries, power plants, and factories used asbestos for decades, and many of those workplaces appear on the approved-site lists of asbestos bankruptcy trusts. A diagnosis starts a short legal clock, so it helps to know your options early.
Throneberry Law Group represents mesothelioma patients and families across Illinois from offices in Chicago and Edwardsville. Attorney Michael Throneberry lost his father-in-law to mesothelioma in 2004, and he works directly with every family we represent. A case review is free.
Our Illinois Offices
We have two offices in Illinois, one in the Chicago area and one in the Metro East near St. Louis. Both serve families statewide, and we travel to clients who can’t come to us.
Chicago Office
Our Chicago office is at 155 N Wacker Dr #4250. It serves Chicago, Cook County, and northern Illinois, including Joliet, Waukegan, Rockford, and Naperville. Our Chicago mesothelioma attorney page covers the region’s industrial history and how we work with families there.
Edwardsville Office
Our Edwardsville office is at 60 IL-157 Ste 15. It serves Madison County, St. Clair County, and the rest of the Metro East and southern Illinois. Our Edwardsville mesothelioma lawyer page covers Granite City, Alton, Wood River, Belleville, and the plants where Metro East workers met asbestos.
Our team represents clients across the state, including those seeking an Edwardsville mesothelioma lawyer in the Metro East, a Joliet mesothelioma attorney, or a Chicago mesothelioma attorney. We also serve Waukegan, Peoria, Rockford, and Naperville.
Where Were Illinois Workers Exposed to Asbestos?
For most of the twentieth century, asbestos was used to insulate boilers, furnaces, pipes, and machinery that ran hot. The CDC’s Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry lists oil refineries, steel manufacturers, power plants, and shipyards among the businesses where workers had past asbestos exposure. Illinois had all of them.
Chicago and Northern Illinois
Northern Illinois was home to steel mills, rail yards, and factories of every kind. Our site pages cover the Johns Manville plant in Waukegan, the Waukegan Generating Station, American Steel & Wire in Waukegan, and Sundstrand in Rockford.
Central Illinois
Peoria and the farm towns around it built heavy equipment, wire, and whiskey. Our pages cover Caterpillar in Peoria, Keystone Steel & Wire, Hiram Walker in Peoria, and Chanute Air Force Base.
The Metro East
Across the river from St. Louis, Madison and St. Clair counties held steel mills, oil refineries, glass plants, and chemical plants. Our pages on Granite City Steel and the Wood River, Roxana, and Hartford refineries cover two of the most-listed sites on asbestos trust lists.
Illinois Filing Deadlines for Mesothelioma Claims
Illinois gives people a short window to file. A personal injury claim must generally be filed within two years, under 735 ILCS 5/13-202. In asbestos cases, that clock generally starts when a person knew, or reasonably should have known, about the illness and its likely cause, which is often the date of diagnosis.
Deadlines for Wrongful Death Claims
When a person has passed away, the family may bring a wrongful death claim instead. Under the Illinois Wrongful Death Act, that claim must generally be filed within two years after the death. Our mesothelioma statute of limitations page explains how these deadlines work, and our page on wrongful death claims explains what a family can recover.
What Compensation May Be Available?
Most families have more than one path to compensation. A lawsuit can be filed against companies that made or sold asbestos products and are still in business. Many other companies went bankrupt and set up asbestos trust funds to pay people they harmed. Veterans may also qualify for VA benefits. We look at every option the facts support and explain them in plain words.
How We Work With Illinois Families
We start with a free, no-obligation case review. We build a detailed work history, find where the exposure happened, and match it to trust lists and to companies that are still in business. If travel is hard during treatment, we come to you at home or at the hospital. Attorney Michael Throneberry works directly on our cases, and families can reach him with questions.
Common Questions About Illinois Mesothelioma Claims
How Long Do I Have to File a Mesothelioma Claim in Illinois?
In Illinois, a person with mesothelioma generally has two years to file a personal injury claim, under 735 ILCS 5/13-202. In asbestos cases that clock usually starts when the person knew, or should have known, about the illness and its likely cause, which is often the date of diagnosis. If the person has passed away, the family generally has two years after the death to file a wrongful death claim under the Illinois Wrongful Death Act. Trust claims and VA benefits have their own timelines. Because these deadlines are short, it is best to talk with a lawyer soon after a diagnosis.
Do I Have to Live in Illinois to File Here?
Not always. Where a case is filed depends on where the person lived and worked, where the exposure happened, and where the companies involved do business. Many of our clients worked in Illinois and later moved away, or lived in Missouri and worked across the river in the Metro East. Each of those facts can open different options for where to file and which deadlines apply. We look at the whole work history before recommending where to file, and we explain the choices in plain words during a free case review.
What if the Company I Worked for Is Out of Business?
You may still have a claim. Many companies that made asbestos products went bankrupt and set up trusts to pay people they harmed. Those trusts keep lists of approved worksites, and many Illinois plants appear on them, including steel mills, refineries, power plants, and factories across the state. A closed plant does not end your options. We match your work history to the trust lists and look for companies that are still in business. Many people qualify for more than one trust claim.
Will I Have to Travel to Meet With a Lawyer?
No. We know that people with mesothelioma are often in treatment and may not feel well enough to travel. We come to you, whether that is at home, at the hospital, or another place that works for you. We have offices in Chicago and Edwardsville and represent families across Illinois. Your first case review is free and comes with no obligation. Many of our clients never set foot in our office, and we handle the work by phone, video, mail, and home visits.
Talk to an Illinois Mesothelioma Lawyer
If you or someone you love has mesothelioma and worked in Illinois, contact Throneberry Law Group for a free, no-obligation case review. We serve families from our Chicago and Edwardsville offices and travel to clients across the state.