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Asbestos Trusts — AC&S

Asbestos Trust Claims: Compensation is Available Without Filing a Lawsuit

Asbestos companies and their insurers placed close to $30 Billion dollars into trust funds to pay people who were injured by asbestos. But nearly 40% of the funds have still gone unclaimed by the victims. You may be entitled to a portion of these funds.

Applying for asbestos trust fund compensation is not getting into a fight.

This money was set aside in a trust account for those who were injured.

Applying for a payment from these trusts is not affecting any company or coming out of anyone’s pocket. This is insurance money specifically to help people hurt by asbestos.

The court ordered the funds because the asbestos industry could no longer hide its secret: asbestos is very dangerous to breathe.

AC&S Asbestos Settlement Trust

Company Founding	1958
Core Businesses	Insulation distribution and contracting
Bankruptcy	District of Delaware (2002)
Year Trust was Founded	2008
Assets at Founding	~ $530,000,000
Assets as of 2022	$136,046,285
Payment Percentage	Three point eight percent (3.8%)
Amount of Money Paid To Date	> $56 million
Number of Claims Paid	171,178

Company Summary

AC&S, originally known as Armstrong Contracting and Supply Company, was founded in 1958 as an insulation contractor and distributor.

• It was purposely formed as a subsidiary of Armstrong Cork Company (see Armstrong World Industries page) to separate the insulation distribution and installation facet of the business from the rest of the company’s contracting operations.
• Armstrong Cork’s history of asbestos use dates to 1931, however, AC&S did not manufacture its own asbestos containing products.
• Instead, it distributed and installed asbestos-containing insulation products such as pipe-covering, block, and cement manufactured by other companies.
• In 1969, AC&S’s parent company, Armstrong, reorganized by selling shares of stock to some of its employees and formed Irex Corporation (formerly North Lime Corporation).
• AC&S remains a subsidiary of the new company, now called Irex Contracting Group.

Workers Generally Eligible for the AC&S Asbestos Settlement Trust:

Workers who may have been at risk of exposure to asbestos related to AC&S include:

Insulators	Construction / Demo workers	Pipefitters
Factory workers	Shipyard workers	Laborers
Tilers / flooring workers	Boilermakers	Sheet-metal workers

Asbestos insulation was used in industrial settings like power plants and refineries as well as other commercial settings, such as hospitals, or on ships.

AC&S employees regularly worked at different locations installing asbestos-containing insulation which put them at risk of exposure. Workers who would have to clean up after the installers, often called laborers, were also at risk.

Secondary Asbestos Exposure

Spouses and household members of workers may qualify for the AC&S Asbestos Settlement Trust as well.

People who brought home asbestos on their work clothes may have also been exposed in their homes and vehicles. This especially includes anyone who regularly laundered asbestos-tainted work clothes. Asbestos is dusty and durable, and anyone who spent time in a garage or small laundry room breathing it in could have been at risk.

AC&S Trust History

Asbestos injury claims against Armstrong began in the late 1960s. AC&S filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2002 due to the financial burden of facing hundreds of thousands of claims.

The AC&S Asbestos Settlement Trust was created in July 2008 and began accepting claims on May 26, 2009.

In 2008, AC&S created the Asbestos Settlement Trust under its Chapter 11 Plan of Reorganization. The current payment percentage is 4.9%.

AC&S states that it created the trust to “process, liquidate and pay valid asbestos personal injury claims.” The purpose of the payment percentage is to ensure that funds are available for current and future claimants.

The AC&S Asbestos Settlement Trust has established forms and procedures to apply and collect compensation from the trust. You can learn more on their website.

In 2022, 20,776 claims were filed with the AC&S Asbestos Settlement Trust, according to its annual financial report.

The report also details that $17,674,621 was paid out in claims in 2022, adding to the total of $56,129,412 the Trust has paid since it was established.

Important Facts About Asbestos Trust Compensation for People with Asbestos Illnesses

Depending on where you worked, or how you were exposed to asbestos, you may qualify to file claims with more than one asbestos trust. Different occupations worked with different types of asbestos products. The location of the work – the actual job site – also impacts which claims may be filed. Every case is unique, and thousands of clients have been able to receive compensation from multiple asbestos trusts.

Filing claims with asbestos trusts is a separate act than filing a lawsuit against certain companies. It is possible, however, to file a lawsuit and additionally file claims with asbestos trusts. This determination is made on a case-by-case basis depending on each client’s work and/or exposure history. Companies that are not bankrupt are eligible to be sued in a lawsuit, while bankrupt companies are those that were ordered to establish asbestos bankruptcy trusts.

The asbestos trusts exist for the purpose of awarding compensation to qualifying claimants. The courts designated that money be specifically set aside to provide payment to those individuals injured by asbestos. You do not have to be retired to file a claim, and the claim does not affect your current or previous employer(s), or any benefits you may already receive. If you worked with products or at a job site that was owned by a company that has established an asbestos trust, you may meet the criteria for compensation.

Asbestos use was extremely common in the U.S. military for decades. Navy ships were built using asbestos insulation to ensure they were fireproof. The boiler rooms on the ships were full of asbestos insulation, gaskets, and valves used on the various types of equipment. Military tanks and vehicles used asbestos containing brake parts as well as gaskets and valves. 

Some military jobs, such as mechanics, boilermakers, and pipefitters, to name a few, would cause servicemembers to be directly exposed to asbestos. Other jobs required that work be done near those using or working with asbestos, which still put those workers at risk. A military veteran’s benefits will not be affected by filing asbestos trust claims; this is true even if you already receive disability benefits from the VA.

One of the common misconceptions surrounding asbestos trust claims is that people who smoked are not eligible to file for compensation.

That’s absolutely false.

Our Office has Recovered Many Trust Settlements on Behalf of Smokers. 

Asbestos exposure makes it five times more likely you’ll develop lung cancer. Smoking makes it ten times more likely you’ll develop lung cancer. But being a smoker with asbestos exposure makes it fifty times more likely you’ll develop lung cancer.

And that’s why asbestos companies will pay compensation to industrial workers or others exposed to asbestos, even if they were lifelong smokers.

I know this, because many of them are my clients.

Although asbestos trust claims are not lawsuits, they are subject to the same time limitations that lawsuits are.

These laws are called Statutes of Limitation. 

Statutes of limitation specify how much time a person has to file a lawsuit.

If a person waits too long, they lose the right to file a lawsuit.

Every state puts limits on how long individuals have to file lawsuits on their own behalf or on behalf of a deceased loved one. These laws are called Statutes of Limitation, and if you miss one, you will not be able to file any asbestos claims.

The exact same thing applies with asbestos trusts: 

Asbestos exposure makes it five times more likely you’ll develop lung cancer. Smoking makes it ten times more likely you’ll develop lung cancer. But being a smoker with asbestos exposure makes it fifty times more likely you’ll develop lung cancer.

Statutes of Limitations are often not very straightforward in asbestos cases because there are questions about when the statute should start:

• Does “the clock” start when a person is diagnosed with an asbestos-related illness, or does it start when they find out their illness could have been caused by asbestos?
• If they worked in Texas but now live in Missouri, which statute applies?

These are the sorts of questions that are best posed to an asbestos attorney, and we’re happy to answer them for you.

If you believe you are entitled to compensation for your asbestos-related illness, call, text or email our law firm so we can tell you how long you have to make the decision to file a trust claim or to seek asbestos compensation through an asbestos lawsuit.

It won’t cost you anything to call us, but it could cost you everything if you wait too long to file a claim.

Justinian C. Lane, Esq. – AsbestosClaims.Law

My grandfather, grandmother and father were all exposed to asbestos in their work, and all three died of respiratory-related cancers.

I found out too late about the health effects of asbestos to help them.

But my firm has helped many other people receive compensation for health problems they developed from exposure to asbestos.

Call, text or email us for a completely free consultation with no obligation. I will listen to the details of your story, and explain your options. We only work on contingency, so we only get paid if you do.

Every case is different, but the Law Offices of Justinian C. Lane, Esq. has obtained large settlements for thousands of people harmed by asbestos. This compensation has helped ease our clients’ financial burdens, and offers a legacy to leave for their loved ones.

At AsbestosClaims.Law, we’ve helped thousands of people who were exposed to asbestos in their job, car or at home. Can we help you?