United Gilsonite Asbestos Trust Fund
Asbestos Trust Funds Claims and Mesothelioma
U.S Asbestos Bankruptcy Trusts Funds have paid out nearly 21 billion to more than 600,000 asbestos claimants. There are about 60 active Asbestos Trust Funds with an estimated $32 billion in remaining assets.
Asbestos Settlement Trusts were established to help compensate workers and their families for asbestos exposure causing Mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases. When an Asbestos company establishes a Trust Fund all settlements are managed by trustees that decide the compensation amounts paid to Mesothelioma claimants. U. S. Courts allow Asbestos defendants to file for protection under a legal process known as bankruptcy reorganization. This allows the company to pay claims and stay in business.
Asbestos Trust Fund settlements typically do not come with an admission of guilt by the asbestos company that set up the trust.
Global Asbestos Disaster Study Estimates More than 39,000 USA Deaths Annually from Asbestos-Related Diseases.
Specifically, asbestos contributes to 34,270 lung cancer deaths, 3,161 mesothelioma deaths, 787 ovarian cancer deaths, 443 larynx cancer deaths and 613 chronic asbestosis death. Source: www.adao.us
Asbestos Trust Fund: United Gilsonite
Facts:
Founded: 1932
Head Quarters: Scranton, Pennsylvania
Turn out: Various building materials including cement, paint, coating, and sealants
Operating status: Still Currently Operating
Asbestos Trust: Yes
Trust began: 2014
Trust Amount: $35.5 million
Asbestos Trust Fund
After United Gilsonite Laboratories filed for bankruptcy in 2011, they created a reorganization plan to make an asbestos trust fund. In 2014, the company established the United Gilsonite Laboratories trust fund consisting of $35.5 million to handle pending and future claims. Cases are evaluated on various factors, including age, illness, and exposure.
Asbestos Litigation
United Gilsonite received its first lawsuit with asbestos exposure in 1983, and in 2001, they began receiving lawsuits having to do with mesothelioma. The company continued to accumulate cases, and by 2011, they had paid more than $20 million to cover litigation costs, and they still had more cases to deal with. That same year they decided to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
There were multiple cases they faced in which entire families were affected by exposure to asbestos. In one case, a woman named Roberta Friedman was diagnosed with mesothelioma from asbestos exposure even though she never worked with the product. She had been exposed in her home from 1956-1970 because her dad and uncle installed it in her childhood home. The family testified that they all inhaled the product. She may receive compensation for what occurred.
History of Asbestos Use
United Gilsonite Laboratories was founded by Gerald B. Payne in 1932 in Pennsylvania and was started with eight employees. When the company started, it manufactured roofing treatments, including Gilsonite asphalt products. The company did well, and in 1935, it was able to purchase a warehouse in Scranton, Pennsylvania, and expand its product line. At the warehouse, they produced roofing products and sealing/coating applications. The company also started producing furniture polish and drain openers. In 1938, they created the first asphalt aluminum paint to protect the roofing from the weather.
Many of United Gilsonite Laboratories needed to be heat-resistant and withstand high pressure, so the company began adding asbestos to their products in 1942. Companies often add asbestos to products such as roofing or cement to achieve heat resistance. Asbestos is a group of minerals that contain fibers that stop heat, and companies are allowed to use this product as long as it doesn’t account for more than 1% of the product. United Gilsonite laboratories products contained asbestos above the legal limit.
Employees working for United Gilsonite Laboratories were exposed to environments full of airborne asbestos fibers. When exposed to large amounts of the materials, it can cause diseases such as mesothelioma, asbestosis, and cancers with serious long-term effects.
Coinciding with when the company began using asbestos, they also introduced new products. They added asbestos-containing liquid roof cement called NUDECK and LASTIDECK and wood coating called ZAR polyurethane.
In the 1950s, United Gilsonite Laboratories created a full line of waterproof sealants called DRYLOK. It was used for a variety of things, including basement flooring, walls, and masonry leaks. In 1954 the company also introduced their first asbestos-containing joint compound, which was very successful.
United Gilsonite used asbestos in their products for over three decades before finally, in 1975, taking their asbestos-related products off their catalog. They did this because of federal regulations that made it more challenging to mine and achieve the product.
Although they took asbestos products off their catalogs, there were still large amounts of damage caused by their previous history with the mineral. In 1983, the company began accumulating large amounts of asbestos-related lawsuits, eventually forcing them to file for bankruptcy in 2011.
Asbestos Products
United Gilsonite Asbestos Roofing
United Gilsonite Joint Compound
United Gilsonite LASTIDECK
United Gilsonite NUDECK
United Gilsonite Asbestos Furnace Cement
United Gilsonite Joint Cement
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How Do Mesothelioma Trust Funds Work?
Asbestos exposure victim’s diagnosed with mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases can submit their claims to asbestos settlement trusts belonging to the bankrupt asbestos companies responsible for their illness. Surviving relatives of mesothelioma that have died from asbestos exposure are also eligible to submit claims to responsible asbestos trust funds.
After submitting a claim, asbestos trust funds decide whether to pay a claim. The decision to pay a claim is made separate from the company that created the trust fund.
Asbestos Trust Fund Information
- There are more than 65+ Asbestos Trust Funds set up by U. S. Courts.
- Asbestos bankruptcy reorganization can be a lengthy process that can span several years.
- Asbestos Trusts publish additional information about their Trust guidelines, qualifications and rules.
- Representatives of current and future Mesothelioma claimants must consent to any significant changes to these trusts.
- Since 1988, Asbestos trusts have paid out about $17.5 billion representing more than 3 million claims.
- Since 2011, Asbestos Trust Funds have combined assets of $36.8 billion.
- Since 2010, the average percentage paid per asbestos victim is 25 percent of a claim.
- Asbestos Trust Funds set Statutes of Limitations that only allow a certain amount of time to file an Asbestos claim.
- Mesothelioma Claimants can sometimes file both Asbestos Trust lawsuits and Asbestos claims.
- S. Courts must approve the amount that is set aside before the Asbestos company will be granted bankruptcy protection.
Evidence Required to File an Asbestos Trust Fund Claim
Diagnosis: Medical Documentation, including biopsy information, and pathology report, showing claimant is diagnosed with mesothelioma or an asbestos-related disease.
Physician Statement: The victim must also provide medical documentation to confirm the mesothelioma diagnosis, signed off by a doctor or mesothelioma specialist.
Exposure Evidence: Witness affidavits, employment records, company invoices linking a company product or facility to asbestos exposure.
Asbestos Trust Fund Claims
It is very important to contact a Mesothelioma lawyer soon after you have been diagnosed with Mesothelioma. The only known cause of this Mesothelioma is exposure to asbestos. Mesothelioma is a progressive disease, with a 10-50 year-latency period developing over years or even decades in many patients. Therefore, your statute of limitations does not begin with the time of exposure. Rather, it begins with your diagnosis that you have Mesothelioma.
If you have been diagnosed with Mesothelioma, you have legal rights. But you need to act quickly, because the statute of limitations in most states is 1-3 years.
Mesothelioma and Asbestos Exposure
- Malignant Mesothelioma is commonly diagnosed in people between the ages of 50 and 75 years old.
- There are 3000-3,500 malignant Mesothelioma cases diagnosed each year in the United States.
- 1 in 3 U. S. military veterans will develop an asbestos related disease in their lifetime.
United Gilsonite Asbestos Trust Fund and Mesothelioma Claims
A person diagnosed with Mesothelioma may be entitled to recover compensation for the following:
Factors that May Affect the Value a Mesothelioma Case Include:
- Age, Gender, Location, and Work History
- History of Military Service
- Pain and Suffering
- Where Asbestos Exposure Occurred
- How Many Asbestos Products are involved with Your Exposure
There Are 4 Primary Types of Mesothelioma Claims:
Product Liability – Can be filed against companies that manufactured and distributed asbestos products.
Medical Malpractice – Can be filed against doctors or hospitals if they misdiagnose or delay your diagnosis of Mesothelioma.
Workers Compensation – Can be filed against an employer if you were exposed to asbestos while on the job.
Wrongful Death – Can be filed against asbestos manufacturers, asbestos distributors, or an employer of a product containing asbestos that directly caused a person’s death if their actions constituted gross negligence for a deceased worker s safety.
How a Mesothelioma Attorney Can Help
An experienced Mesothelioma lawyer will help you to file a Mesothelioma lawsuit to hold negligent asbestos manufacturers and asbestos companies accountable for the severe pain and suffering that comes with a Mesothelioma cancer diagnosis.
Military Veterans Diagnosed With Mesothelioma
Recent Mesothelioma Verdicts
- $4.6 Million Mesothelioma Settlement: For a union insulator that developed malignant Mesothelioma from asbestos exposure.
- $10.2 Million Mesothelioma Verdict: For a Paper Mill worker suffering from pleural Mesothelioma.
- $8 Million Mesothelioma Award: For a man diagnosed with Mesothelioma.
- $1.2 Million Mesothelioma Settlement: For a 76-year-old carpenter that developed malignant Mesothelioma.
- $1.1 Million Veteran Mesothelioma Settlement: For a Navy veteran machinist that developed malignant Mesothelioma at age 71.
- $245,000 Asbestosis Settlement: For a Paper mill worker suffering from Asbestosis.
- $2.5 Million Mesothelioma Settlement: For a union pipefitter man who died from malignant Mesothelioma.
- $2.6 Million Shipyard Worker Mesothelioma Settlement: For the family of a 72-year old shipyard worker with Mesothelioma who suffered secondhand exposure.
- $5 Million Navy Veteran Mesothelioma Verdict: For a Navy Boilerman who developed Mesothelioma during his service.
- $1.8 Million Mesothelioma Settlement: For a carpenter that developed malignant Mesothelioma at age 68.
- $7.5 Million Mesothelioma Verdict: For a woman that developed peritoneal Mesothelioma from laundering her husband s work clothes.
TO GET HELP – Our Nationwide Toll-Free Mesothelioma Helpline Number is 888.640.0914
Settlement Averages for Mesothelioma Lawsuits
The average verdict in a mesothelioma lawsuit is about $2.4 million, and the average settlement is between $1 million and $1.4 million according to Mealey’s Litigation Report.
Malignant Mesothelioma
Malignant Mesothelioma is rare form of cancer that affects lining of the lungs, abdomen, heart, and major organs in the body. Mesothelioma is a disease in which malignant cancer cells are found in the sac lining the chest (pleura) or the abdomen (peritoneum). There are about 3,000 new malignant Mesothelioma cases diagnosed each year in the U. S. If you are experiencing any Mesothelioma symptoms you should contact a doctor immediately.
Diagnosed With Mesothelioma?
If you or a family member has been diagnosed with malignant Mesothelioma you are going to have a lot of questions about living with Mesothelioma and what legal options you have against asbestos manufacturers and asbestos companies for your asbestos exposure. Mesothelioma is a seriously deadly disease. According to the American Cancer Society with the average survival time for people with Mesothelioma is 4-18 months.
Mesothelioma Personal Injury Lawsuit
Can be filed by anyone after being diagnosed with mesothelioma cancer.
Can be Filed against companies responsible for a victim’s asbestos exposure.
A Mesothelioma personal injury lawsuit allows victim’s to receive compensation for pain, and suffering, lost wages, costly treatment, travel, and other and related costs.
Call TOLL FREE 888.640.0914 right now to talk with a live Mesothelioma Counselor that can answer many of your questions and give you the peace of mind that you need.
Family Member Died From Mesothelioma?
If you have a family member that has died from Mesothelioma cancer you should immediately consult with an experienced Mesothelioma diagnosis lawyer about what compensation may be available to you from asbestos trust funds that total more than 30 billion dollars.
Mesothelioma Wrongful Death Lawsuit
Can be filed by surviving family members after the death of a loved one from mesothelioma cancer.
Can be Filed against asbestos companies responsible for a victim’s asbestos exposure causing death.
A Mesothelioma wrongful death lawsuit allows victims to receive compensation for burial and funeral expenses, lost wages, loss of companionship, and other and related costs.
It is VERY IMPORTANT that you file your Mesothelioma claim within your states Statute of Limitations.
We have seen many families lose their right to file a lawsuit because their Statute of Limitations had expired while they were grieving. We know it is a tough time to grieve the loss of a loved one, but please do not let your Statute of Limitations expire for filing your Mesothelioma lawsuit. In most states the Statute of Limitations is 2-3 years. Some states have 6-year Statute of Limitations.
Mesothelioma Latency Period
Mesothelioma has a long latency period of 10-50 years. Many Veterans, Shipyard Workers, Construction Workers, Power Plant Workers, Mill Workers, Steel Workers, Railroad Workers, Pipefitters, Insulators, Electricians, Carpenters, Welders, Auto Mechanics, Veterans, Factory Workers, and laborers are living in the early stages of a variety of asbestos related diseases. Many Mesothelioma lawyers will not accept asbestosis, asbestos lung cancer, pleural plaques, pleural thickening, colon cancer and esophageal cancer cases.
There is More Than 30 Billion Dollars Set Aside for Mesothelioma and Asbestos Victims in Asbestos Bankruptcy Trusts
Need a Mesothelioma Lawyer?
If you or a family member has been diagnosed with Mesothelioma or an asbestos related disease, we can help you start a Mesothelioma lawsuit against asbestos companies responsible for your injuries. Our experienced nationwide Mesothelioma lawyers will come to you.
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We can usually tell within a few minutes whether we can help you, and if we cannot maybe direct you to someone who can. We are always accessible by phone, email and online chat.
We are always available to answer your questions with a phone call and will always keep you informed. We will do everything we can to ensure that you receive the highest compensation for your injuries.
If you have a legal question about a Mesothelioma lawsuit, you don t have to come into our office. Call us, and you will speak directly to a lawyer, and if a lawyer is not available, your call will be returned as quickly as possible.
Workers and Asbestos Containing Products
People that worked in shipyards, refineries, power plants, mills, factories, plants, salvage yards, engine rooms, installing brakes, gaskets, insulation, valves and pipes have a higher risk of developing an asbestos related disease in their lifetime.
How Second-Hand Asbestos Exposure Occurs
When asbestos is disturbed, broken apart, cut, decayed, or damaged, it releases tiny asbestos microscopic fibrous particles that can cling to hair and clothing. These asbestos fibers are easily transferred to others where they can accumulate in the lining of lungs that cause mesothelioma lung
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