TRUST FUND GUIDE
A plain-English guide to the GST Settlement Facility, which pays claims for Garlock and Coltec gaskets and packing, and how it values each disease.
Garlock made asbestos gaskets and packing used in pumps, valves, and piping across heavy industry. If a family member got sick after working around this equipment, the GST Settlement Facility may owe money. This guide explains how the trust works and how it values claims. You can also read about Garlock and the other asbestos companies we handle.
We are Throneberry Law Group, a nationwide mesothelioma and asbestos firm. We help workers and families file with the Garlock trust and every other trust they qualify for. Our founding attorney, Michael Throneberry, took on this work after his father-in-law died of mesothelioma, and we give each client direct, personal attention.
CURRENT TRUST STATUS
BACKGROUND
The GST Settlement Facility, often called the Garlock trust, pays people who got sick from asbestos gaskets and packing made or supplied by Garlock Sealing Technologies and by Coltec Industries. These sealing products were used in pumps, valves, and steam and chemical piping in almost every heavy industry. Breathing in the fibers released when gaskets and packing were cut, scraped, or replaced can cause mesothelioma, asbestos-related lung cancer, and asbestosis years later.
Garlock filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2010. The court confirmed the Modified Joint Plan of Reorganization of Garlock Sealing Technologies and OldCo (successor to Coltec), and the trust became effective in 2017 and began accepting claims in 2018. The trust pays valid claims under its Claims Resolution Procedures (CRP).
The trust handles claims for people exposed to Garlock or Coltec sealing products across power plants, refineries, chemical plants, steel mills, shipyards, and the Navy.
PRODUCTS & COMPANIES COVERED
The trust covers Garlock and Coltec sealing products. These are the product lines most often tied to Garlock claims.
The asbestos years for Garlock sealing products run from the late 1920s into the early 1980s. A lawyer can match your work history to the right products and job sites.
INDUSTRIES, TRADES & OCCUPATIONS
Garlock gaskets and packing were everywhere steam, water, and chemicals moved through pipes. Boilermakers, pipefitters, steamfitters, millwrights, machinists, insulators, Navy veterans, and maintenance mechanics all cut, scraped, and replaced these seals. Much of this exposure happened at power plants, refineries, chemical plants, steel mills, and shipyards.
Because the same equipment used sealing products from more than one maker, most people exposed to Garlock also have claims against other trusts. A thorough review looks at every product you worked around.
HOW IT WORKS
Garlock does not use a single payment percentage the way most trusts do. Instead, the CRP set a Maximum Settlement Value for each disease based on how much contact the worker’s occupation had with gaskets and packing, then adjust the offer by the strength of the claim.
The CRP sort occupations into Contact Groups, from Group 1 (heavy, direct contact) to Group 5 (unlikely contact). Each group has a Maximum Settlement Value. The trust then multiplies that value by an Injured Party Factors Index, which reflects the medical proof, the claimant’s age and circumstances, and time spent in the contact work. Claims are reviewed and paid first-in, first-out, subject to a Maximum Annual Payment for each disease category.
How the medical proof counts. The CRP set a Medical Information Factor of 1.0 for mesothelioma, 0.25 for asbestos-related lung cancer, 0.25 for severe asbestosis, and 0.10 for other cancer. A Group 1 mesothelioma claim starts from the $298,200 maximum settlement value.
THE NUMBERS
These are the Maximum Settlement Values in the trust’s Claims Resolution Procedures. The first table covers mesothelioma and asbestos-related lung cancer. The actual offer is this value times the Injured Party Factors Index.
| Contact Group | Mesothelioma and Lung Cancer |
|---|---|
| Group 1 | $298,200 |
| Group 2 | $89,500 |
| Groups 3 to 5 | $37,300 |
The second table covers severe asbestosis, asbestos-related other cancer, disabling asbestosis, and non-disabling asbestosis.
| Contact Group | Other Diseases |
|---|---|
| Group 1 | $298,200 |
| Group 2 | $89,500 |
| Group 3 | $37,300 |
| Group 4 | $18,600 |
| Group 5 | $1,500 |
Sealing-product cases often overlap with other trusts. Learn more about mesothelioma compensation and how these claims fit together.
GETTING STARTED
A strong trust claim takes preparation. Here is the path most clients walk with our firm.
1. Gather medical records. You need clear proof of diagnosis, usually a pathology report and a doctor’s statement linking the illness to asbestos.
2. Document your work history. Build a record of every job site, employer, and product you were around. Coworker statements can fill in gaps.
3. Match to covered products. Tie your exposure back to Garlock or Coltec sealing products and the job sites where you worked around them.
4. Choose your review track. Your attorney helps decide. Well-documented, serious cases often do better under full review; simpler cases often do better on the fast track.
5. File and track. Submit the claim and supporting documents, then follow it through review and payment.
WHY THRONEBERRY LAW
Trust claims can look simple on paper, but small choices change the outcome by thousands of dollars. Here is what we bring.
22+ Years of Asbestos Work
Attorney Michael Throneberry has pursued asbestos cases for more than two decades, with hundreds of millions recovered for injured workers and families.
No Fee Unless We Win
We work on contingency. You pay nothing unless we recover money for you, and your first case review is free.
Personal Attention
Our founding attorney stays involved in every case, and we travel to you, including to your home or hospital room.
GET HELP
If your family has faced mesothelioma, asbestos lung cancer, or another asbestos illness from gaskets or packing, we can tell you which trusts you qualify for and what a claim may be worth. A case review costs nothing. Start with our contact form.
SOURCES
Garlock Settlement Facility (GST), official trust website (background and claims procedure), garlocksettlementfacility.com.
Maximum Settlement Values, Contact Groups, and Medical Information Factors from the Second Amended and Restated Claims Resolution Procedures (values increased November 11, 2021; Fifth Amendment March 27, 2026).
Product and exposure detail from the firm’s internal Bankruptcy Affidavit (Mooney) checklist.
DISCLAIMER
This page is general information, not legal advice. Trust payment percentages, scheduled values, and rules change over time. The numbers shown reflect the GST Settlement Facility’s published procedures and notices as of the source dates above. For the most current figures, check the trust’s official notices or ask an attorney about your own situation. Sending a form or a message does not create an attorney-client relationship.
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