Rogers Corporation Asbestos Exposure & Compensation

Rogers Corporation was founded as Rogers Paper Manufacturing Company and originally produced paperboard. Over time, Rogers Corporation expanded their product line with a wide range of high-performance materials. Asbestos was an important component in many of the products Rogers Corporation made and was used extensively from 1936 to 1991. Plant workers at two of its main manufacturing facilities in Rogers and Manchester, Connecticut were frequently exposed to asbestos. Asbestos exposure is known to cause mesothelioma and other malignancies including lung cancer.

Rogers Corporation employees, and contractors who repaired equipment at their facilities and were exposed to asbestos and later diagnosed with mesothelioma or lung cancer should consult with a mesothelioma lawyer. The Connecticut mesothelioma lawyers at Early, Lucarelli, Sweeney & Meisenkothen (ELSM) have extensive experience representing clients who worked for Rogers Corporation.

Rogers Corporation at a Glance

• During much of the 20th century, Rogers Corporation operated facilities in Rogers and Manchester, Connecticut, and maintained offices in East Woodstock, Connecticut.
• Products manufactured by Rogers Corp. using raw asbestos included matrix board and phenolic molding compounds. The company also produced asbestos-containing gaskets exposing workers to the hazardous substance.
• Several Roger Corporation facilities have been identified as jobsites with asbestos exposure. At least 7 asbestos bankruptcy trusts list one or more Rogers Corp. locations as known exposure sites.

Asbestos Exposure at Rogers Corporation

Rogers Corporation was originally founded as a paper mill in Manchester, CT, diversifying its product line in the 1920s. From 1936 to 1991, Rogers Corporation was an asbestos product manufacturer, operating two main factories in Connecticut.

The Manchester facility produced two categories of asbestos products:

• Matrix board for use in the printing industry
• Phenolic molding compounds, a type of industrial plastic

The facility in Rogers, a village within the town of Killingly that was named after the company, manufactured asbestos-containing gaskets.

Between the two factories, Rogers Corporation imported thousands of tons of raw asbestos fiber, warehoused asbestos, handed asbestos, transported asbestos, used asbestos in extensive manufacturing operations, disposed of asbestos, and employed workers whose jobs directly involved those activities.

Surviving air samples from the Manchester factory included over 500 area samples that demonstrated the widespread contamination of the Rogers Corporation operation. The earliest samples revealed exposure levels as high as 140 times the exposure limit that was in effect at the time (and 7,000 times the modern limit). Asbestos exposure at Rogers Corporation was common among its workers.

In 2016, Rogers Corp. moved its headquarters from Connecticut to Arizona. Today the company operates factories in China, Germany, Belgium, Hungary, South Korea and in the United States.

In general, Rogers Corporation Manchester was a real mess. Their housekeeping and attitude of the foremen, as well as the hourly people, left a lot to be desired [in] the area of environmental control... Very poor housekeeping in the milling area...very dusty. General housekeeping in the extrusion department, poor. Ripped bags of blue fiber as well as other raw materials. Floor, ceiling, and rafters very dirty. Industrial Hygienist
Observation during a factory visit, 1972

Asbestos Products Used at Rogers Corporation

Both the Rogers and Manchester Rogers Corporation factories brought in thousands of tons of raw crocidolite and chrysotile asbestos over several decades for use during manufacturing processes. Bags of asbestos were cut open in the factories and poured into various types of mixing vessels, depending on the product being made.

Workers at these facilities performed tasks that exposed them to asbestos, including:

• Cleaning up asbestos-containing waste
• Handling and opening bags of raw asbestos
• Operating machinery that processed asbestos-containing mixes and manufactured finished products
• Packaging finished products
• Servicing dust collectors
• Transporting raw asbestos materials
• Working with or around asbestos products during the construction of the facilities

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Secondary Asbestos Exposure

Rogers Corporation plant workers were exposed extensively to asbestos dust in the air and oftentimes asbestos fibers would stick to their clothing, shoes, and hair. When workers returned home from work, family members who were around them or who washed their dusty work clothes could also breathe in the asbestos fibers. If an individual is diagnosed with mesothelioma due to secondhand asbestos exposure from someone who worked at a Rogers Corporation facility, they may be entitled to compensation.

Compensation for Rogers Corporation Employees Diagnosed with Mesothelioma

ELSM Law has represented several clients in their Rogers Corporation mesothelioma lawsuits or in claims for other asbestos-related diseases that resulted, in part, from asbestos exposure at a Rogers Corporation facility. Mesothelioma compensation may be sought from asbestos suppliers, asbestos product manufacturers, and from Rogers Corporation itself.

Options for financial compensation include:

• Mesothelioma Lawsuits: A lawsuit will be filed against each solvent company whose products the injured party can prove they were exposed to.
• Asbestos Trust Funds: There are also asbestos trusts set up for several companies that are now bankrupt that had products at one or more of the Rogers Corporation facilities. Bankruptcy claims can be filed with each company’s trust fund that an injured worker or veteran was exposed to.
• Workers’ Compensation Claims: Workers’ Compensation can be sought in Connecticut if a worker’s current disease is the result of past occupational asbestos exposure, even if the worker is no longer employed.

Asbestos Trust Funds

Rogers Corporation itself does not have an asbestos trust fund. However, beyond the raw asbestos used in manufacturing its products, at least seven bankrupt companies whose asbestos products were used at one or more of the Rogers Corporation (or Rogers Paper Manufacturing) facilities have trust funds established for mesothelioma and other asbestos-related disease victims.

ELSM has databases of asbestos products, jobsites and qualifying occupations to help determine eligibility for mesothelioma claim submission.

The following list of bankrupt companies with established asbestos trusts include at least one of the Rogers Corporation or Rogers Paper Manufacturing facilities as an approved jobsite.

Asbestos Lawsuits

A Rogers Corporation asbestos lawsuit will likely be filed in Connecticut. In most lawsuits, only a deposition detailing work history at sites where asbestos exposure occurred will be necessary and the case will resolve in a negotiated settlement. In the rare case that a jury trial is needed to obtain compensation, ELSM has a history of obtaining some of the highest mesothelioma trial verdicts in Connecticut, including the top three of all time.

While Workers Compensation laws generally prohibit suing an employer for workplace injuries, if gross negligence by the employer can be proven, the employer may also be sued in court. ELSM has sued Rogers Corporation directly on behalf of some of its past clients claiming that the amount of asbestos used at the facilities and the poor workplace conditions amounted to gross negligence.

Workers’ Compensation

Connecticut workers have the benefit of favorable workers’ compensation laws, particularly as they pertain to occupational diseases, including mesothelioma and asbestos-related lung cancer.

Unlike in many states, mesothelioma victims may receive workers’ compensation for past asbestos exposure at a Rogers Corporation facility even if they are retired at the time of diagnosis. They may also pursue workers’ compensation from Rogers Corporation if it was not their last employer before retirement.

A widow or widower may also be entitled to benefits on behalf of a past Rogers Corporation employee who has died due to an asbestos-related disease. In a case where gross negligence by Rogers Corporation cannot be proven, experienced mesothelioma attorneys at ELSM Law can help their clients navigate the traditional workers’ compensation process.