New York Injuries Glossary

Legal and insurance terms explained plainly

What happens when someone breathes asbestos for years and their lungs start hardening? That disease is asbestosis: a chronic lung condition caused by inhaling asbestos fibers,...

GLOSSARY 2026-03-26

benzene exposure

Contact with benzene by breathing it, swallowing it, or absorbing it through the skin. Benzene is a colorless, highly flammable chemical found in crude oil, gasoline,...

GLOSSARY 2026-03-25

biomonitoring

How do doctors or investigators tell whether a chemical actually got into someone's body? Biomonitoring is the measurement of chemicals, their breakdown products, or other...

GLOSSARY 2026-03-30

cancer cluster

You just got a letter that says several people in your neighborhood, school, or workplace have been diagnosed with cancer, and health officials are reviewing a possible cancer...

GLOSSARY 2026-03-24

dose-response relationship

You just got a letter that says the chemical exposure in your case was "too low to cause the illness claimed." That argument is about the dose-response relationship: the basic...

GLOSSARY 2026-03-26

environmental contamination

You just got a letter that says testing found chemicals in the soil, air, dust, or water near your home, job site, or child's school. That usually means there may be...

GLOSSARY 2026-03-26

high-low agreement

Think of it like putting bumpers on a bowling lane: no matter how wild the roll gets, there is a floor and a ceiling. In a lawsuit or settlement negotiation, a high-low...

GLOSSARY 2026-04-02

intestate succession

Picture a jobsite where no one left a plan for who takes over when the foreperson suddenly disappears: tools, keys, and responsibilities get handed out by a preset chain of...

GLOSSARY 2026-03-23

latency period

Insurance companies and defense lawyers often bring this up to argue that a sickness showed up too long after an exposure to be connected, or that the person should have known...

GLOSSARY 2026-03-27

Material Safety Data Sheet

You just got a letter that says the chemical at work was "covered by an MSDS," and now you need to figure out whether that helps your case. A Material Safety Data Sheet, often...

GLOSSARY 2026-03-30

Medicare set-aside

Often confused with a Medicare lien, a Medicare set-aside is not money Medicare wants back for past bills. A Medicare lien is Medicare's claim for reimbursement after it has...

GLOSSARY 2026-04-02

mesothelioma

People often mix up mesothelioma and asbestosis, but they are not the same. Mesothelioma is a rare, aggressive cancer that forms in the mesothelium, the thin lining around...

GLOSSARY 2026-03-30

occupational disease

Miss this term, and a serious work-related illness can get treated like bad luck instead of a job-caused injury - which can mean delays, denied benefits, or the wrong kind of...

GLOSSARY 2026-03-23

offer of judgment

Insurance companies and defense lawyers may use this as pressure: take this amount now, or risk getting less later and paying added costs if the court outcome is not better....

GLOSSARY 2026-04-02

permissible exposure limit

People often mix up a permissible exposure limit with a threshold limit value. A permissible exposure limit, or PEL, is the maximum amount of a substance a worker may legally...

GLOSSARY 2026-03-28

PFAS contamination

Like grease that won't wash out of a pan, PFAS can stick around long after the original spill, use, or discharge is over. PFAS contamination means the presence of per- and...

GLOSSARY 2026-04-01

pour-over will

You just got a letter that says a relative's will "pours over" any remaining assets into a trust. That means the will acts as a backstop: property still in the person's name at...

GLOSSARY 2026-03-23

probate court process

Money, property, and even the ability to pursue a claim after someone dies can hinge on this process. If there is a house, bank account, unpaid bills, or a possible wrongful...

GLOSSARY 2026-03-23

retainer agreement

What trips people up most is that signing one does not guarantee a lawsuit will be filed right away, or at all. A retainer agreement is the written contract between a client...

GLOSSARY 2026-04-04

structured settlement

Insurance companies and defense lawyers sometimes present this as a safe, hassle-free way to get paid, especially when someone is under financial pressure after a crash or...

GLOSSARY 2026-04-01

Superfund site

People often mix up a Superfund site with a brownfield, but they are not the same thing. A brownfield is property where redevelopment is complicated by known or suspected...

GLOSSARY 2026-03-26

testamentary capacity

It is not the same as having perfect memory, advanced education, or total freedom from illness. A person can be elderly, physically weak, grieving, or living with some mental...

GLOSSARY 2026-03-22

testamentary trust

Will my assets go straight to my kids or family when I die, or can someone manage them first? A testamentary trust is a trust created inside a will that does not take effect...

GLOSSARY 2026-03-23

toxic tort

A toxic tort is a legal claim for harm caused by exposure to a dangerous substance, such as chemicals, asbestos, mold, contaminated water, pesticides, or industrial fumes....

GLOSSARY 2026-03-31

trust amendment vs restatement

Not a choice between "small change" and "brand-new trust," and not two different ways to revoke everything. The usual confusion is thinking a trust amendment replaces the...

GLOSSARY 2026-03-22