J.T. Thorpe utilizes asbestos in various products due to the material’s durable nature and affordability. As a result, various people including countless veterans were exposed to asbestos while handling products made by the company. This means that a large number of people who worked at or who handled products manufactured by J.T. Thorpe are at risk of being diagnosed with mesothelioma and lung cancer, which often prove to be fatal.
The History of the Company
In 1906, J.T. Thorpe was founded in California. The company would go on to become one of the biggest refractory contractor businesses in the country. In 2002, however, the company pursued Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The company left the bankruptcy process four years later. Over the last two decades, the company paid out a substantial amount of compensation to people who were diagnosed with asbestos and lung cancer following the use of asbestos-containing products manufactured by J.T. Thorpe.
Some of the asbestos-containing products manufactured by J.T. Thorpe include blankets, cement, cloth, duct insulation, pipe insulation, and wiring insulation. Workers who installed these products experienced direct asbestos exposure.
Various types of workers were exposed to asbestos-containing products manufactured by J.T. Thorpe including boiler workers, chemical plant workers, insulators, pipefitters, and steamfitters.
J.T. Thorpe’s Asbestos Trust
Due to its use of asbestos in countless products for many years, J.T. Thorpe was accused of exposing workers and causing deadly illnesses. As lawsuits commenced, the company struggled with finances. As a condition of emerging from bankruptcy, J.T. Thorpe created a trust to compensate the victims of asbestos exposure. The J.T. Thorpe Settlement Trust was initially funded with more than $150 million. The Thorpe Insulation Company Asbestos Settlement Trust operates in Nevada. The company, however, worked at numerous Southern California oil refineries and other industrial sites as well. It’ is critical to distinguish this trust from other similarly named trusts, which include:
- A company called J.T. Thorpe & Son Inc. engaged in refractory work in California as well as other states. The company is not connected to Thorpe Insulation Company, which primarily operated in Southern California.
- The J.T. Thorpe Settlement Trust is a bankruptcy trust that operates in Nevada. The trust accepts claims for the work of a separate company, J.T. Thorpe Inc.
- The J.T. Thorpe Company Successor Trust is a bankruptcy trust operating in Texas. The trust accepts claims for the work of a separate company called JT Thorpe Company, which was engaged in industrial work in Louisiana and Texas.
- Thorpe Corporation is a Texas business that does thermal work and is not connected to Thorpe Insulation Company.
Contact a Seasoned Asbestos Lawyer Today
It is not an easy process to decide how to handle a mesothelioma diagnosis. One of the best steps you can take in such a situation, however, is to speak with an experienced attorney. Schedule a free case evaluation with the Throneberry Law Group today by calling (888) 506-1131.
