THRONEBERRY LAW GROUP
Mesothelioma & Asbestos Attorneys
TRUST PAYMENT REFERENCE
A payment reference for the API, Inc. Asbestos Settlement Trust, which pays claims for exposure to asbestos insulation that API, Inc. of Roseville, Minnesota sold, distributed, or installed in Minnesota, North Dakota, and nearby states through August 1, 1973. API calls its payment percentage the Payment Sum Percentage. Every figure below was checked against the trust's own Trust Distribution Procedures, notices, claim form instructions, and 2025 Annual Report on October 18, 2026.
CURRENT TRUST STATUS
The API asbestos trust pays 44% of a claim's Allowed Liquidated Value. On September 1, 2026 the trustee doubled the Payment Sum Percentage from 22% to 44% for all claims approved on or after that date, and authorized a supplemental distribution to bring earlier approved claims up to the same level. A Minnesota mesothelioma claim carries a $316,250 Allowed Liquidated Value, so it pays about $139,150 at 44%; a North Dakota mesothelioma claim (the schedule the trust also applies to South Dakota and Wisconsin exposure) carries $117,087 and pays about $51,518. API is a small, one-trustee trust that has swung its rate up and down with its finances, suspended payments twice, and charges a $1,000 processing fee per claim, refunded if the claim is allowed. Its net claimants' equity was about $7.7 million at the end of 2025.
Throneberry Law Group files API claims for insulators, pipefitters, boilermakers, power plant, refinery, and plant workers, and building trades workers who worked in Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, western Wisconsin, or northern Michigan before August 1973, and for their families. This page is part of our asbestos trust funds guide, which covers every trust we file against.
PAYMENT REFERENCE
The table below is the short answer. The sections that follow explain each line.
| Current payment percentage | 44% of the Allowed Liquidated Value. API calls it the Payment Sum Percentage (notice from the trustee dated September 1, 2026, under TDP Paragraph 4.3). |
|---|---|
| In effect since | September 1, 2026, for all claims approved on or after that date whether or not filed earlier. A companion notice the same day authorized a supplemental distribution to bring all prior approved claims up to 44%. Enhanced claims (Extraordinary, Exigent Health, and Extreme Hardship) continue to be accepted and approved without the enhanced adjustment, which the trust says it will revisit if its finances permit. |
| Prior rates | 33.96% (the level earlier claims were brought to by the March 10, 2008 supplemental distribution); 50% (April 15, 2008, for 2008 claims); 55% (July 23, 2009); 30% (September 15, 2011, after payments were suspended from May 1 to September 15, 2011; 30% again for 2013 claims); 35% (June 1, 2015); payments suspended indefinitely on June 9, 2017; 37% (July 1, 2020); 44% (August 1, 2021); 22% (July 1, 2023); 44% (September 1, 2026). Each increase has come with a supplemental distribution to earlier claimants. |
| Review cycle | The trustee sets and changes the Payment Sum Percentage under TDP Paragraph 4.3 with the consent of the Trust Advisor and the Legal Representative, and has the exclusive power to change the timing of payments, including suspending them (Paragraphs 2.4(d) and 4.4(b)). There is no fixed review calendar; changes are posted as notices on the trust's website. |
| Inflation adjustment | The TDP says the trustee shall adjust the Allowed Liquidated Values for inflation from time to time (Paragraph 5.1(k)), but the values the trust has paid on, as shown in its 2025 Annual Report, are the 2005 schedule amounts, and no inflation notice is posted. This page uses the schedule values. |
| Mesothelioma allowed value | $316,250 (Minnesota claims); $117,087 (North Dakota claims; also applied to South Dakota and Wisconsin exposure by trustee notices of April 15, 2013 and January 1, 2016). The TDP's Category I value for malignant mesothelioma (Paragraph 5.1(c)). |
| Mesothelioma payout at the current rate | About $139,150 for a Minnesota claim ($316,250 x 44%) and about $51,518 for a North Dakota claim ($117,087 x 44%). The trust's 2025 Annual Report shows Minnesota mesothelioma claims paid $139,150 when the rate was last 44% and $69,575 at 22%, which matches. |
| Review options | Every claim is individually reviewed by the trustee and placed in the most serious Disease Category it fits, then paid the Allowed Liquidated Value times the Payment Sum Percentage (Paragraph 5.1(a) and (f)). A claim that misses a criterion can still be approved as a novel or exceptional claim. A claimant who rejects the offer or disputes eligibility or categorization goes to mediation if the trustee requests it, then binding arbitration or a lawsuit against the trust (Paragraphs 5.1(i) and 5.2); an arbitrator's award cannot exceed 125% of the trustee's last offer for the category. |
| Extraordinary Claims | A claim can be classified as extraordinary if API's asbestos activity was an exceptionally large part of the claimant's exposure or the damages are exceptionally large and well beyond the normal range, and the trustee may then estimate it above the Allowed Liquidated Value, provided all claimants will receive the same Payment Sum Percentage (Paragraph 5.1(g)). Exigent Health Claims (living mesothelioma claimants and terminal cases) and Extreme Hardship Claims can be moved ahead in the queue (Paragraph 5.1(l)). Since October 1, 2010 the trust has not made the enhanced payment on these claims because of its finances, and the September 1, 2026 notice repeats that position. |
| Exposure requirement | Evidence of exposure to asbestos-containing material sold, installed, or removed by API, through work histories, Social Security records, invoices, company records, deposition testimony, affidavits, or other credible evidence acceptable to the trustee, including work at a facility where API products or services were present (Paragraph 5.1(c)). API sold and installed asbestos products only through August 1, 1973 (trust history page). Minnesota exposure is paid on the Minnesota schedule; North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wisconsin exposure on the North Dakota schedule; a claim with exposure in both uses the Minnesota value only if credible comparable settlement data supports it. Each category also requires a ten-year latency between first exposure and diagnosis. |
| Filing deadline | Minnesota law's statute of limitations applies to Minnesota claims and North Dakota law's to North Dakota claims; otherwise the limitations period of the court where the claimant could have sued API applies (Paragraph 5.1(n)). Claims not already barred on January 6, 2005 (the Petition Date) are tolled from that date until the claimant is free to pursue remedies under the TDP (Paragraph 5.1(o)). The trust's claim instructions also ask that the claim form, fee, and documents be submitted within nine months of receiving the claims materials. Submitting a claim is treated as a filing for limitations purposes even while payments are suspended. |
| Fees and withdrawal rules | $1,000 processing fee per claim form since August 1, 2024 (previously $500), by check to the trust, refunded if the claim is allowed. A $120 fee per individual for claim searches since February 1, 2022. The trust responds in writing only and takes all submissions by email in PDF form. Payment requires the trust's release and, where settling insurers fund the payment, their releases too; non-malignant claimants sign a limited release and can file again for a later malignancy (Paragraph 5.1(j)). |
| Claims processor | The trustee, Robert D. Brownson, processes claims himself. Submissions and inquiries by email only to info@apiincasbestossettlementtrust.com; fee checks to A.P.I., Inc. Asbestos Settlement Trust, P.O. Box 48533, Minneapolis, MN 55448-0533. Legal Representative Judge Richard Spicer; Trust Advisor Michael R. Strom. |
| Trust created | Under the Third Amended Plan of Reorganization of API, Inc. (November 21, 2005) as modified at confirmation, confirmed December 6, 2005 by Chief Judge Gregory F. Kishel of the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Minnesota (Case No. BKY 05-30073-GFK) and affirmed May 25, 2006. API filed its Chapter 11 petition on January 6, 2005; the plan's Effective Date was February 5, 2007. The TDP is dated November 21, 2005. |
| Last checked | October 18, 2026, against apiincasbestossettlementtrust.com (home, Trust Overview, Summary of Trust Procedures, History, Plan Documents, Notices From the Trustee, Claim Forms and Instructions, About the Trustee, and Contact pages), the API Trust Distribution Procedures dated November 21, 2005 (read from the posted scan), the trustee's notices of September 1, 2026, July 1, 2023, August 1, 2021, July 1, 2020, June 18, 2020, June 1, 2015, May 15, 2013, September 15, 2011, May 1, 2011, October 1, 2010, July 23, 2009, April 15, 2008, and March 10, 2008, the Claim Form Instructions revised June 27, 2024, and the Annual Report of the Trustee for 2025 dated April 29, 2026. |
SCHEDULE OF DISEASES
The API TDP uses five Disease Categories with a separate Allowed Liquidated Value for Minnesota claims and for North Dakota claims (Paragraph 5.1(c)). By trustee notice, South Dakota (April 15, 2013) and Wisconsin (January 1, 2016) exposure claims are paid on the North Dakota schedule. Each approved claim is paid the value for its category times the Payment Sum Percentage.
| Category | Disease | Minnesota Value | Payout at 44% | North Dakota Value | Payout at 44% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| I | Malignant Mesothelioma | $316,250 | About $139,150 | $117,087 | About $51,518 |
| II | Lung Cancer | $137,050 | About $60,302 | $44,777 | About $19,702 |
| III | Other Cancers | $73,800 | About $32,472 | $16,884 | About $7,429 |
| IV | Asbestosis | $57,200 | About $25,168 | $16,500 | About $7,260 |
| V | Pleural Disease | $30,150 | About $13,266 | $12,000 | About $5,280 |
The payout columns are the Allowed Liquidated Value times 44%, rounded. Category I needs a medical report of malignant mesothelioma and a ten-year latency; Category II needs a medical report of primary asbestos-related lung cancer and ten-year latency; Category IV needs a doctor's asbestosis diagnosis and ten-year latency; Category V needs bilateral pleural plaques or thickening or unilateral diaphragmatic plaque on x-ray, CT, HRCT, or pathology, and ten-year latency. Other Cancers has its own three-part test in the TDP.
FILING REQUIREMENTS
API is a small trust run by one trustee who reviews every claim personally. The claim is a typed form, a $1,000 check, medical proof of the disease category, and exposure proof tied to API's products or work before August 1973, all submitted by email as PDFs.
The claim form instructions accept five kinds of exposure proof: a work history, Social Security records, invoices, company records, and deposition testimony of the claimant or co-workers from asbestos litigation. The first four must come with a sworn affidavit establishing authenticity, by the claimant or, for company records, by someone else who states the basis for their knowledge. The TDP lets the trustee treat work at a facility where API products or services were present as exposure and lets him compile a site list; none is posted, so each claim stands on its own records. API sold, distributed, and installed asbestos-containing insulation from its founding through August 1, 1973, as a small contractor with annual revenues of about $5 million working in Minnesota and North Dakota, with a few minor projects in South Dakota, western Wisconsin, and northern Michigan; its principal supplier was Owens Corning (trust history page). Minnesota exposure is valued on the Minnesota schedule and North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wisconsin exposure on the North Dakota schedule.
Mesothelioma, lung cancer, and asbestosis each need a medical report or doctor's diagnosis; pleural disease needs imaging or pathology showing bilateral plaques or thickening or a unilateral diaphragmatic plaque; and every category needs ten years between first exposure and diagnosis (TDP Paragraph 5.1(c)). The trustee can approve a novel or exceptional claim that misses a criterion. The National Cancer Institute explains what mesothelioma is and how it is diagnosed.
Minnesota claims follow Minnesota's statute of limitations and North Dakota claims follow North Dakota's; claims not already barred on January 6, 2005 are tolled until the claimant is free to pursue the trust (Paragraphs 5.1(n) and (o)). A claim is treated as filed for limitations purposes when the trust receives it, even during a payment suspension. The instructions ask for the form, fee, and documents within nine months of receiving the claims materials. The $1,000 processing fee is refunded if the claim is allowed. Claims are processed first-in, first-out, with Exigent Health and Extreme Hardship claims eligible to move ahead, and the trustee controls payment timing, including installment payments and suspensions, which the trust used from May to September 2011 and again from June 2017 until the 2020 rate notice. An approved claim is paid only after the trust's release and any settling insurer releases are signed.
An Extraordinary Claim (API exposure an exceptionally large part of the total, or damages well beyond the normal range) can be estimated above the Allowed Liquidated Value, but only if all claimants will still receive the same Payment Sum Percentage, and the trust has not been making the enhanced payment since October 2010. An Exigent Health Claim is a living mesothelioma claimant or a claimant whose physician reports within 120 days that the asbestos disease is terminal; an Extreme Hardship Claim is one the trustee finds needs immediate financial help, with Trust Advisor and Legal Representative consent. Disputes over the offer, eligibility, or category go to mediation if the trustee asks, then binding arbitration (award capped at 125% of the last offer for the category) or a lawsuit against the trust (Paragraphs 5.1(i) and 5.2).
RATE HISTORY
API's rate has moved more than almost any other trust's, because its funding comes in pieces from API's own note and from insurance settlements, and the trustee sets the Payment Sum Percentage to match what the trust holds. The trust began paying in 2007. A March 10, 2008 supplemental distribution brought the earliest claims to 33.96%; the rate was set at 50% for 2008 claims (notice of April 15, 2008) and raised to 55% on July 23, 2009. On May 1, 2011 the trustee suspended payments until September 15, 2011, when the rate was reset at 30%, and 30% was confirmed for 2013 claims. The rate rose to 35% on June 1, 2015.
On June 9, 2017 the trustee suspended payments indefinitely; claims were still accepted and approved and treated as filed for limitations purposes. The next posted rate was 37%, effective July 1, 2020 (notice of June 18, 2020), then 44% effective August 1, 2021 (each with a supplemental distribution to earlier claimants). On July 1, 2023 the trustee cut the rate to 22%, and on September 1, 2026 restored it to 44% with another supplemental distribution. The trust's 2025 Annual Report lists 850 claim numbers since 2007, total claim payments since inception of $93,989,767, and net claimants' equity of $7,734,226 at December 31, 2025 after $151,734 in distributions during 2025. The TDP provides that when the rate rises, claimants paid in the preceding ten years may receive supplemental payments up to the new rate, at the trustee's discretion (Paragraph 5.1(k)).
PRODUCTS AND WORK SITES
API, Inc. of Roseville, Minnesota sold, distributed, and installed insulation construction material, and from its founding through August 1, 1973 that included products containing asbestos (trust history page). It was a regional contractor, doing business in Minnesota and North Dakota with a few minor projects in South Dakota, western Wisconsin, and northern Michigan, and its principal supplier was Owens Corning, whose bankruptcy pushed distributors and contractors like API to the front of the asbestos litigation and into its own Chapter 11 in 2005. The trust publishes no site list; exposure is proved claim by claim from work and company records.
Because API's products came largely from Owens Corning, the same Minnesota or North Dakota work history usually supports a larger claim against the Owens Corning / Fibreboard trust, and often against Johns Manville and the Western Asbestos trust, whose Minnesota site list covers many of the same plants. We handle cases for Minnesota and North Dakota clients.
QUESTIONS
As of October 18, 2026, the API, Inc. Asbestos Settlement Trust pays 44% of a claim's Allowed Liquidated Value. The trust calls this its Payment Sum Percentage. The trustee raised it from 22% to 44% effective September 1, 2026 and authorized a supplemental distribution to bring earlier approved claims up to 44%.
A Minnesota mesothelioma claim has a $316,250 Allowed Liquidated Value and pays about $139,150 at 44%. A North Dakota, South Dakota, or Wisconsin mesothelioma claim has a $117,087 value and pays about $51,518. The values come from the trust's 2005 schedule and have not been adjusted for inflation.
The trust is still accepting claims. Minnesota claims follow Minnesota's statute of limitations and North Dakota claims follow North Dakota's, so a new diagnosis should be acted on quickly. Every claim needs a $1,000 processing fee, refunded if the claim is allowed, and the trust wants the claim within nine months of sending its claims materials.
WHY THRONEBERRY LAW GROUP
API is a trust where timing and paperwork decide the outcome. Its rate has gone from 55% to 22% and back to 44%, payments have been suspended twice, and a claim approved during a low-rate stretch is only made whole if the trustee later authorizes a supplemental distribution. The $1,000 fee is refunded only on an allowed claim, and the trustee reviews each one personally against a 2005 TDP with no site list, so the exposure affidavit and the records behind it have to carry the claim. We build Minnesota and North Dakota work histories from Social Security earnings, union and employer records, and litigation testimony, file by email in the format the trustee requires, and track the trust's notices so a client approved at a lower rate gets the supplemental payment when the rate rises. Our overview of mesothelioma compensation explains how trust payments fit with lawsuits and other recoveries, and attorney Michael Throneberry, who has handled asbestos cases for more than two decades, reviews every trust claim before it goes out.
We work on contingency, so you pay nothing unless we recover money for you. We serve clients nationwide, we can help Spanish-speaking families, and we travel to you, including to your home or hospital.
SOURCES
Figures on this page come from the API, Inc. Asbestos Settlement Trust website (apiincasbestossettlementtrust.com): the home, Trust Overview, Summary of Trust Procedures, History, Plan Documents, Notices From the Trustee, Claim Forms and Instructions, About the Trustee, and Contact pages; the API Trust Distribution Procedures dated November 21, 2005 (posted as a scan; the schedule of Allowed Liquidated Values and Paragraphs 5.1 and 5.2 were read from the scanned pages); the trustee's notices dated March 10, 2008 through September 1, 2026; the Claim Form Instructions revised June 27, 2024; and the Annual Report of the Trustee for 2025 dated April 29, 2026, with its financial statements and claim exhibits (Case No. BKY 05-30073-GFK, Bankr. D. Minn.). Last checked October 18, 2026.
DISCLAIMER
This page is general information, not legal advice. Trust payment percentages, allowed values, and procedures change, and the trust's own current documents control. Payout examples are arithmetic on the trust's published figures, not a promise of any result. Contacting us or sending a form does not create an attorney-client relationship.
Copyright 2026 Throneberry Law Group. All rights reserved.
GET A FREE CASE REVIEW
If you or a family member worked with insulation in Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, western Wisconsin, or northern Michigan before August 1973, the API asbestos trust may owe a payment, and the same history usually supports larger claims against Owens Corning and the other insulation trusts. We check the current rate, the fee, the state schedule, and the deadline for every trust before we file.
We serve clients across the country, we can help Spanish-speaking families, and we charge nothing unless we recover for you. Start with a free, no-obligation case review through our contact form.
Get the Help You Deserve
To schedule your initial consultation, please fill out the form or call 888.506.1131
"*" indicates required fields
