THRONEBERRY LAW GROUP
Mesothelioma & Asbestos Attorneys
TRUST PAYMENT REFERENCE
A payment reference for the Christy Refractories Asbestos Personal Injury Trust, which pays claims for asbestos products of The Christy Refractories Company, LLC. Every figure below was checked against the trust's own website, notices, and Trust Distribution Procedures on October 18, 2026.
CURRENT TRUST STATUS
The Christy Refractories asbestos trust pays 55% of scheduled value. The trustee raised the rate from 40% to 55% effective October 31, 2022, by notice dated January 1, 2023. A mesothelioma claim carries a $90,000 scheduled value, so an Expedited Review mesothelioma claim is worth about $49,500. One catch applies right now: by notice dated April 17, 2026, the trust is in a period of limited liquidity through December 31, 2026, so a claim paid this year receives half its payment now and the trust expects to pay the other half in January 2027. Every claim needs Christy exposure before December 31, 1986 and a refundable $20 filing fee.
Throneberry Law Group files Christy claims for refractory, furnace, and plant workers and their families across the country. This page is part of our asbestos trust funds guide, which covers every trust we file against. Christy is a small trust with a high rate, and the same work history usually supports claims against the larger refractory trusts, so we file them together.
PAYMENT REFERENCE
The table below is the short answer. The sections that follow explain each line.
| Current payment percentage | 55% of scheduled value for Expedited Review and of the liquidated value for Individual Review. One rate for all claims except Level I, which pays a flat $250. |
|---|---|
| In effect since | October 31, 2022 (Notice of Payment Percentage Change dated January 1, 2023, adopted under TDP Section 4.2 with the consent of the Trust Advisory Committee and the Future Claimants' Representative). |
| Prior rate | 40%, in effect from November 1, 2016. The initial payment percentage was 11% (TDP Sections 2.3 and 4.2). |
| Limited liquidity, 2026 | By notice dated April 17, 2026, the trust is in a period of limited liquidity through December 31, 2026. Under TDP Section 7.3, a claim paid during that period receives 50% of its liquidated value times the payment percentage now; the trust expects to pay the rest in January 2027. |
| Mesothelioma scheduled value | $90,000 (Disease Level VIII, TDP Section 5.3(b)(3)). Individual Review average $100,000, maximum $300,000. The TDP does not index these values for inflation. |
| Mesothelioma payout at the current rate | About $49,500 under Expedited Review ($90,000 x 55%). During the 2026 limited liquidity period that arrives as about $24,750 now and about $24,750 expected in January 2027. Individual Review pays 55% of the value the trust sets, up to $300,000 before the percentage, or about $165,000 after it. |
| Review options | Expedited Review for Levels I, II, III, IV, V, VII, and VIII. Individual Review only for Lung Cancer 2 (Level VI), Extraordinary Claims, and claims that want a higher value than the schedule. |
| Exposure requirement | Meaningful and credible exposure before December 31, 1986 to an asbestos product that Christy sold, distributed, marketed, handled, processed, or made, or for which Christy has legal responsibility (TDP Section 5.6(b)(3)). Mesothelioma and Lung Cancer 2 need Christy exposure only. Levels III, IV, V, and VII need six months of Christy exposure plus Significant Occupational Exposure (five years in an asbestos trade, at least two of them before December 31, 1986). Level II needs six months of Christy exposure plus five years of occupational asbestos exposure. The trust publishes no product list and no site list. |
| Filing deadline | For anyone diagnosed after the October 29, 2008 Chapter 11 filing, within three years after diagnosis or by November 12, 2015, whichever is later, regardless of any state statute of limitations (TDP Section 5.1(a)(2); Notice of Claim Filing Deadlines dated July 1, 2015). Claims diagnosed before October 29, 2008 follow the statute of limitations in effect when the claim was filed, with tolling for claims pending or tolled against Christy on that date; those had to be filed by November 12, 2015. |
| Withdrawal and deferral | A claimant may withdraw a claim and refile later without losing its limitations status, but the refiled claim goes to the back of the processing queue. A claimant may instead defer processing for up to three years and keep the original place in line; no sequencing adjustment accrues during the deferral (TDP Section 6.3). |
| Sequencing adjustment | A claim that waits a year or more for payment earns an interest-style addition, set at 4.5% a year for the first five years after the trust's effective date and at the trustee's discretion afterward, capped at seven years on an unliquidated claim (TDP Section 7.5). The trust has posted no current factor. |
| Extraordinary Claims | Up to five times the scheduled value for the level, multiplied by the payment percentage (TDP Section 5.4(a)). For mesothelioma that is $450,000 before the percentage, or about $247,500 after it. Available where the exposure came predominantly from working in a Christy facility while Christy handled asbestos products there, or where at least 75% of the exposure was to a product Christy is responsible for, and there is little likelihood of a substantial recovery elsewhere. Individual Review only. |
| Fees | $20 filing fee on every claim, due within 60 days of filing or the claim is rejected. Refunded in full when the claim is allowed (TDP Section 6.4; Filing Instructions). |
| Claims processor | Verus Claims Services, Princeton, New Jersey. Electronic filing through the Verus portal is the trust's recommended route. |
| Claims accepted since | May 7, 2012. The Initial Claim Filing Date was November 12, 2012; claims filed between those dates were treated as filed on November 12, 2012. |
| Trust created | Under the Chapter 11 plan of The Christy Refractories Company, LLC, dated December 7, 2010. Christy filed for Chapter 11 on October 29, 2008. The current TDP is the First Amended Asbestos Personal Injury Trust Distribution Procedures. |
| Last checked | October 18, 2026, against christy-trust.com, the First Amended TDP, the Filing Instructions, and the trust's notices dated July 1, 2015 (claim filing deadlines), January 1, 2023 (payment percentage change effective October 31, 2022), and April 17, 2026 (limited liquidity). |
SCHEDULE OF DISEASES
The trust sorts asbestos diseases into eight levels. Seven carry a fixed scheduled value for Expedited Review. Lung Cancer 2 has no scheduled value and goes through Individual Review only. The average and maximum values come from TDP Section 5.3(b)(3) and apply to Individual Review. Level I is a flat cash discount payment that the payment percentage does not reduce.
| Level | Disease | Scheduled Value | IR Average | IR Maximum | ER Payout at 55% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VIII | Mesothelioma | $90,000 | $100,000 | $300,000 | About $49,500 |
| VII | Lung Cancer 1 | $40,000 | $41,500 | $150,000 | About $22,000 |
| VI | Lung Cancer 2 | None | $12,000 | $40,000 | Individual Review |
| V | Other Cancer | $20,000 | $20,500 | $65,000 | About $11,000 |
| IV | Severe Asbestosis | $40,000 | $41,500 | $150,000 | About $22,000 |
| III | Asbestosis / Pleural Disease | $9,000 | $9,000 | $9,000 | About $4,950 |
| II | Asbestosis / Pleural Disease | $4,000 | $4,000 | $4,000 | About $2,200 |
| I | Other Asbestos Disease | $250 cash discount | None | None | $250 flat |
The Expedited Review payout is the scheduled value times 55%. During the 2026 limited liquidity period, half of that amount is paid now and the trust expects to pay the other half in January 2027. The scheduled values are modest by trust standards; the rate is among the higher ones, and that combination is what a Christy claim is worth.
FILING REQUIREMENTS
The trust checks three things on every claim: the disease, the exposure, and the timing. It also checks a fourth: whether the $20 filing fee arrived within 60 days.
The claimant must show meaningful and credible exposure before December 31, 1986 to an asbestos product that Christy sold, distributed, marketed, handled, processed, or manufactured, or for which Christy otherwise has legal responsibility, or to conduct for which Christy is responsible that exposed the claimant to an asbestos product (TDP Section 5.6(b)(3)). The trust accepts an affidavit or sworn statement from the worker, from a co-worker, or from a family member of a deceased worker, as well as invoices, employment, construction, or similar records. The Filing Instructions add that a fully completed claim form signed under penalty of perjury is accepted as evidence of Christy exposure. The trust publishes no approved site list and no product list, so the proof is built from the worker's own history. Mesothelioma and Lung Cancer 2 need Christy exposure only. Levels III, IV, V, and VII also need six months of Christy exposure before December 31, 1986 and Significant Occupational Exposure, which means five cumulative years in a trade that handled, fabricated, or worked with asbestos products, or worked regularly alongside those who did, with at least two of those years before December 31, 1986 (TDP Section 5.6(b)(2)). Level II needs six months of Christy exposure and five years of occupational asbestos exposure.
Every diagnosis must come with either a physician's statement that at least ten years passed between first asbestos exposure and diagnosis, or an exposure history that shows a ten-year latency (TDP Section 5.6(a)(1)). A mesothelioma claim needs a diagnosis of mesothelioma; the TDP presumes it involves a malignancy. Non-malignant levels require a physical examination by the diagnosing physician for living claimants and the findings the TDP lists for the level, such as an ILO reading of 2/1 or greater or pathological evidence of asbestosis for Severe Asbestosis, with pulmonary function tests that meet American Thoracic Society standards. Pathology must come from a board-certified pathologist or a hospital accredited by the Joint Commission. The National Cancer Institute explains what mesothelioma is and how it is diagnosed.
For anyone diagnosed after October 29, 2008, the TDP's own deadline is three years after diagnosis or November 12, 2015, whichever is later, and it applies regardless of any state statute of limitations (TDP Section 5.1(a)(2)). For a diagnosis today, that means three years from the diagnosis date. Claims diagnosed before October 29, 2008 follow the statute of limitations in effect when the claim was filed; a claim that was pending against Christy, or tolled by agreement, on that date was treated as timely if filed by November 12, 2015 (Notice of Claim Filing Deadlines dated July 1, 2015). A claim is rejected if the $20 fee does not arrive within 60 days, and an incomplete claim does not enter the processing queue until the missing material is supplied. We file soon after diagnosis, send the fee with the claim, and file everything at once.
Expedited Review pays the scheduled value times the payment percentage once the claim meets the level's medical and exposure criteria. For mesothelioma that is about $49,500 at 55%. Individual Review looks at the whole case and can set a value up to $300,000 for mesothelioma before the percentage, or about $165,000 after it. Lung Cancer 2 claims and Extraordinary Claims must use Individual Review. An Extraordinary Claim, where the exposure came predominantly from working in a Christy facility while Christy handled asbestos products there, or at least 75% of the exposure was to a product Christy is responsible for, and there is little chance of a substantial recovery elsewhere, can be valued at up to five times the scheduled value (TDP Section 5.4(a)), which for mesothelioma is $450,000 before the percentage and about $247,500 after it. A living mesothelioma claimant qualifies as an Exigent Health Claim and moves ahead in the queue (TDP Section 5.3(b)). Payments during the 2026 limited liquidity period come in two halves, the second expected in January 2027.
RATE HISTORY
The TDP set the initial payment percentage at 11% when the trust opened claims in 2012. On November 1, 2016, the trustee, with the consent of the Trust Advisory Committee and the Future Claimants' Representative, raised it to 40%. By notice dated January 1, 2023, the trustee raised it again, from 40% to 55%, effective October 31, 2022. The TDP lets the trustee change the rate whenever needed to keep present and future claimants paid in substantially the same manner (Section 4.2), and claimants paid at a lower rate before an increase are entitled to a supplemental payment for the difference (Section 4.3).
The rate has not fallen, but cash flow has tightened. By notice dated April 17, 2026, the trustee declared a period of limited liquidity through December 31, 2026, based on the claims that qualified for payment in 2025 and early 2026 and the amount left under the 2026 Maximum Annual Payment. Under TDP Section 7.3, claims paid in that period receive 50% of their payment now, with the balance expected in January 2027. The payment percentage itself is unchanged at 55%.
PRODUCTS AND WORK SITES
The Christy Refractories Company made refractory products, the heat-resistant brick, mortars, and linings used in furnaces, boilers, kilns, and ladles. The trust publishes no product list and no approved site list. Its TDP defines covered exposure by company instead, as any asbestos product that Christy sold, distributed, marketed, handled, processed, or manufactured before December 31, 1986, or for which Christy has legal responsibility, and the Extraordinary Claim rules single out people who worked inside a Christy facility while asbestos products were handled there (TDP Sections 5.4(a) and 5.6(b)(3)). With no list to match against, a claim is proved one of two ways.
Refractory products of this kind went into steel mills, foundries, power plants, refineries, and glass and cement plants. Bricklayers and refractory masons, boilermakers, furnace crews, steelworkers, and the plant workers around them breathed the dust. The same work history usually supports claims against the other refractory trusts, such as NARCO, A.P. Green, Kaiser Aluminum, Plibrico, and Quigley, and the proof built for those trusts carries the Christy claim.
QUESTIONS
As of October 18, 2026, the Christy Refractories Asbestos Personal Injury Trust pays 55% of scheduled value. The trustee raised the rate from 40% to 55% effective October 31, 2022, by notice dated January 1, 2023. The rate started at 11% in 2012 and rose to 40% on November 1, 2016.
The mesothelioma scheduled value is $90,000. At the current 55% rate, an Expedited Review claim pays about $49,500. Individual Review can set a value up to $300,000 before the percentage, which is about $165,000 at 55%. During the trust's 2026 limited liquidity period, a claim paid this year receives half now and the trust expects to pay the other half in January 2027.
Usually not. For anyone diagnosed after October 29, 2008, the trust's own deadline is three years after diagnosis, and the TDP applies it regardless of state statutes of limitations. The exposure must have happened before December 31, 1986, and the claim must carry a $20 filing fee, refunded when the claim is allowed, so the safest step is to file soon after diagnosis with the fee attached.
WHY THRONEBERRY LAW GROUP
A Christy claim is worth about $49,500 for mesothelioma, more than most refractory trusts pay, and it rests on exposure proof the trust leaves entirely to the claimant, because Christy publishes no site list and no product list. We build that proof from the worker's own job history, the co-workers who remember the brick and mortar on site, and the records that survive, and the same work history that proves Christy exposure proves NARCO, A.P. Green, Kaiser, Plibrico, and Quigley exposure too. We file them as a set. 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 Christy Refractories Asbestos Personal Injury Trust website (christy-trust.com), The Christy Refractories Company, LLC First Amended Asbestos Personal Injury Trust Distribution Procedures, the trust's Filing Instructions, and the trust's notices dated July 1, 2015 (Notice of Claim Filing Deadlines), January 1, 2023 (Notice of Payment Percentage Change Effective October 31, 2022), and April 17, 2026 (Notice of Limited Liquidity). Last checked October 18, 2026.
DISCLAIMER
This page is general information, not legal advice. Trust payment percentages, scheduled 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 laid firebrick, relined boilers and furnaces, or worked around refractory mortars and linings, the Christy Refractories asbestos trust may owe a payment, and it is one of several refractory trusts that reach the same job history. We check the current rate, the exposure rules, 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.
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