Yes. If you were exposed to asbestos products from more than one bankrupt company, you can file asbestos trust fund claims with each trust that covers those products. Most people with mesothelioma were exposed at several jobs, on several sites, or through products from many manufacturers, so multiple trust claims are the norm, not the exception.
At Throneberry Law Group, identifying every trust a client qualifies for is a core part of our work, and we file those claims ourselves rather than referring them out. Michael Throneberry has handled asbestos claims for about two decades and lost his father-in-law to mesothelioma, so we know how much a missed trust can cost a family. Our asbestos trust fund overview lists the trusts we work with most often.
Why Are Multiple Trust Claims Possible
Multiple claims are possible because each trust covers only the products of the company that created it. Asbestos exposure rarely came from one source. You may have handled insulation from one manufacturer, joint compound from another, and run machinery made by a third. Each exposure can support its own claim.
As the long-term harm from asbestos became clear, many manufacturers faced more claims than they could pay. Some filed for Chapter 11 and set up trusts under Section 524(g) of the Bankruptcy Code, which allows a trust to assume the company’s asbestos liabilities and pay current and future claimants. Our post on bankruptcy in mesothelioma claims explains how that process protects claimants.
How Do We Identify Every Trust You Qualify For
We start by building your complete exposure history, then match each product and worksite to the company behind it. The companies we research include the manufacturers on our asbestos companies pages and the trusts they left behind. The sources of exposure we trace most often include:
- Insulation and refractory products: Pipe wrap, block insulation, and furnace linings used in plants and shipyards.
- Building materials: Joint compound, cement board, floor tile, and roofing handled on construction sites.
- Gaskets and packing: Sealing products on pumps, valves, and boilers.
- Friction products: Brakes and clutches serviced by mechanics.
- Equipment with asbestos components: Boilers, turbines, and pumps that shipped with asbestos parts.
Once we know which companies were involved, we read each trust’s Trust Distribution Procedures, the rules that set its medical and exposure requirements, scheduled values, and deadlines. The Johns-Manville trust and the Kaiser Aluminum trust, for example, each have their own criteria.
Why Do Payment Percentages Matter
Trusts rarely pay the full scheduled value for a claim. Each trust sets a payment percentage so that money remains for people who get sick in the future. As a hypothetical example, if a trust’s scheduled value for mesothelioma were $100,000 and its payment percentage were 25 percent, an approved claim would pay $25,000.
Because each payment is a fraction of the scheduled amount, filing with every trust you qualify for is how the pieces add up. Claims with different trusts can usually proceed at the same time, so you do not wait for one to finish before starting the next.
How Do Trust Claims Fit With a Lawsuit
Trust claims cover the bankrupt companies. Companies that are still in business are pursued through a mesothelioma lawsuit instead. Most of our clients have both, and we coordinate them so that nothing is missed and no deadline slips.
That coordination matters because trust rules and court deadlines run on different clocks. Our post on who can file a trust fund claim covers eligibility, including claims by family members after a death.
Nationwide Mesothelioma Lawyers at Throneberry Law Group
Filing with multiple asbestos trusts is how most mesothelioma families recover meaningful compensation, and finding every eligible trust takes a detailed exposure history and a close reading of each trust’s rules. Throneberry Law Group does that work for clients across the country and pursues trust claims and lawsuits together so every responsible company is held to account.
If you or a family member has an asbestos disease and you are not sure which trusts apply, we can review your work and exposure history at no cost. Send us your details through our contact form to begin.
