AsbestosAsbestos News
The US Gypsum Company Establishes an Asbestos Settlement Trust
New Haven, CT - June 8, 2007 - The United States Gypsum Personal Injury Asbestos Trust started to accept claims on February 19, 2007. The asbestos trust was established to accommodate claims from individuals who developed an asbestos related disease after being exposed to products manufactured by the United States Gypsum Corporation that contained asbestos.
US Gypsum (USG) manufactures sheetrock, drywall and ceiling suspension systems used in building trades. Some of these gypsum-based products made between 1920 and 1978 contained asbestos, a type of insulation material that is highly heat and fire resistant. Many workers in the building industry as well as other trades were unknowingly breathing in asbestos fibers that became suspended in the air during the construction process. As a result, many developed or are at risk for developing mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases.
A large number of claims were brought against the United States Gypsum Company by these injured workers and USG declared Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2001 in order to mitigate rising litigation costs. The asbestos personal injury settlement trust was established in 2006 as part of a Joint Plan of Reorganization for coming out of Chapter 11 Bankruptcy. The trust was formed to handle the asbestos-related claims that USG was legally responsible for without the high cost of litigation. Claims are currently being accepted for individuals who have been injured (i.e. diagnosed with an asbestos related disease like mesothelioma) as a result of exposure to USG asbestos containing products as well as for individuals who do not currently have an asbestos-related disease but may be likely to develop one in the future from past exposure to asbestos containing products made by the United States Gypsum Company.
Workers exposed to this type of asbestos generally worked in one or more of the following industries: Aerospace / Aviation, Asbestos Mining, Asbestos Products Manufacturing, Chemical, Construction, Insulation, Iron & Steel, Longshore, Maritime, Military, Petrochemical, Shipyard Construction and Repair, Railroad, Textile, Tire & Rubber and Utilities. Early, Ludwick, Sweeney and Strauss is now filing claims with the trust on behalf of claimants. Please contact us for more information on eligibility requirements and assistance in filing a claim.
