Evansville and the southwest are coal-and-power country — the Ohio River generating stations, the Alcoa Warrick aluminum smelter, the AK Steel (SABIC) plants, and the Toyota and Whirlpool works of the Wabash and Ohio valleys. Coal-fired power and heavy process industry are among the most asbestos-intensive work there is, and the region’s trades were reportedly exposed for full careers.

Indiana allows two years from a mesothelioma or asbestos-cancer diagnosis to file a personal-injury claim (Ind. Code § 34-11-2-4), and two years from the date of death for a wrongful-death claim (§ 34-23-1-1). Indiana has no statute of repose for asbestos cases — the Indiana Supreme Court struck down the ten-year manufacturing cutoff in Myers v. Crouse-Hinds (2016) — so a claim is not barred by how long ago the exposure occurred. Cases are filed in the county Circuit or Superior Court of proper venue; Indiana has no statewide asbestos MDL.