About Gary O. Galiher

For more than 30 years, Gary Galiher has been a passionate advocate for victims of asbestos disease.  Since 1978, he has personally represented mesothelioma clients and assisted with their cases in over 40 states and several foreign countries, recovering hundreds of millions of dollars in verdicts and settlements.

These numbers may be impressive today, but Gary’s successes all began with just one case.  Upon graduating from the University of Hawaii’s William S. Richardson School of Law in 1977, Gary embarked upon his legal career as a young associate at a prominent labor law firm in Honolulu.  The firm represented several large labor unions, and one day a member of the electrical workers’ union came to Gary asking for help.

Represented Shipyard Workers With Mesothelioma

This man was Tristan Nobriga.  He was an electrician at Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard and he had just been diagnosed with a rare and deadly cancer called mesothelioma.  Although he could barely pronounce the name of his disease, he knew that he was gravely ill.

Gary talked to Mr. Nobriga and learned that he had worked with and around many asbestos products at Pearl Harbor, especially aboard ships that came to the shipyard for repair.  Immediately after meeting Mr. Nobriga, Gary went to the medical library to investigate his disease.  His medical research showed that mesothelioma is caused exclusively by exposure to asbestos products, and is inevitably fatal.  Armed with this medical and legal knowledge, Gary told Mr. Nobriga and his wife Fannie that he could help them.

Success in the Courtroom

In 1978, Gary filed the first asbestos lawsuit in the state of Hawaii:  Tristan and Philomena Nobriga vs. Johns-Manville Sales Corporation, etc., et al.  When the asbestos companies denied responsibility for what their products had done, Gary and his firm took them to trial and won a jury verdict of over half a million dollars.

Word spread across Pearl Harbor, and soon more workers, widows, and family members sought Gary’s advice.  It was becoming clear that the heavy use of asbestos at Pearl Harbor and elsewhere had created an epidemic of asbestos disease among shipyard workers.

Unprecedented Settlement Uniquely Benefited His Clients

By 1982, Gary had filed 141 asbestos cases in both the federal and state courts of Hawaii.  As part of this effort, Gary and his firm worked to negotiate a significant settlement with Johns-Manville, one of the primary manufacturers of asbestos products used in the Navy.  Amazingly, the settlement was finalized on the eve of Johns-Manville’s bankruptcy filing, and as a result, the 141 Hawaii asbestos clients Gary represented were able to enjoy the benefits of a five-year structured payout even after all claims against Johns-Manville were stayed or put on hold.

This settlement was unprecedented in the country, and a testament to Gary’s ability to think creatively and outside the box to effect the best possible recovery under the law for his clients.  Following upon the success of these first asbestos cases, for over three decades Gary and his firm have continued to recover verdicts and settlements that are many multiples of the original Nobriga verdict.

National Reputation Lead to Involvement  in Cases Throughout the Country

Because of his success and reputation, Gary became involved in asbestos cases throughout the country and has continued this involvement for the past 30 years.  He has personally represented hundreds of mesothelioma victims in over 40 different states.  Gary travels extensively, meets personally with each of his clients, and works with them to understand fully their case from the way in which they were exposed to asbestos to the emotional impact on his client and the family.

Understands the Emotional and Financial Stress

Of utmost importance through it all is the care and service that Gary has given to his clients from the very beginning.  He especially understands the emotional and financial stress that comes with these terrible diseases.  To help his clients cope with this, he and his staff meet with every client personally and do everything they can to provide support.  And to this day, just as he did with Tristan Nobriga so many years ago, Gary continues to work tirelessly on every case to get the best possible financial result for his clients and their families.