Asbestos Trusts / Trusts Database / JT Thorpe, Inc.

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.

JT Thorpe Settlement Trust

Company Founding	1906
Core Businesses	refractory contracting
Bankruptcy	Central District of California (2002)
Year Trust was Founded	2006
Assets at Founding	$154,000,000
Assets as of 2022	$114,976,520
Payment Percentage	Fifty percent (50%)
Amount of Money Paid To Date	> $139 million
Number of Claims Paid	3,900

Company Summary

J.T. Thorpe, Inc. was founded in California in 1906 in response to rebuilding the area affected by the Great San Francisco Earthquake; it was one of the most damaging earthquakes in United States’ history, destroying close to 30,000 buildings in the city.

• Incorporated in 1922, J.T. Thorpe, Inc. operated as a refractory contractor, distributing and installing asbestos containing refractory materials to different plants and companies around Southern California. 

• From 1922-1988, J.T. Thorpe, Inc. was one of the largest refractory contractors in the Southern California region.

• In 1932, the company made an entry into the shipbuilding industry, installing asbestos-containing insulation and other refractory products on U.S. Navy ships during World War II. 

• In 1992, it opened its first regional office and in 1993, the company established locations in Tucson, Arizona and Salt Lake City, Utah. 

• J.T. Thorpe alleges that it stopped using asbestos products in the 1980s in its own building capacity, however, it is reported that the company continued to distribute such products for several years after that.

Workers Generally Eligible for the JT Thorpe Settlement Trust:

Workers who may have been at risk of exposure to asbestos in connection with J.T. Thorpe, Inc. include:

Refractory workers	Insulators	Construction / Demo workers
Laborers	Steel Mill workers	Ironworkers
Shipyard workers	Factory workers	Pipefitters

Employees of J.T Thorpe were at risk of exposure to asbestos as they traveled to different job-sites to install, remove, or repair asbestos-containing insulation and refractory materials.

Workers in the construction industry, as well as shipyard workers, pipefitters, and other trades could have also been exposed to asbestos through products distributed by the company.

Secondary Asbestos Exposure

Spouses and household members of workers may qualify for the JT Thorpe Company Successor 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.

JT Thorpe Settlement Trust History

J.T. Thorpe, Inc. started facing asbestos injury claims through worker’s compensation cases in the late 1970s. By the early 1990s, the company was under increased financial distress due to the claims. 

It would survive, however, until February 12, 2002, when it filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Central District of California. The reorganization plan included the establishment of the J.T. Thorpe Settlement Trust four years later in June 2006.

In 2006, JT Thorpe created the JT Thorpe Settlement Trust under its Chapter 11 Plan of Reorganization. The current payment percentage is 50%.

There are two (2) other trusts with similar names, the Thorpe Insulation Asbestos Trust (of Thorpe Insulation Company in Southern California) and the J.T. Thorpe Company Trust (related to J.T. Thorpe Company in Texas). They are entirely independent of the JT Thorpe Settlement Trust.
The JT Thorpe Settlement Trust has established forms and procedures to apply and collect compensation from the trust. You can learn more on their website.

In 2022, 226 claims were filed with the Trust, according to its annual financial report.

The report also details that $1,928,919 was paid out in claims in 2022, adding to a total of more than $139 million that 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. 

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: 

If you wait too long to file an asbestos trust claim, you’ll lose the right to do so. Statutes of Limitation can be complicated in asbestos cases because a person typically doesn’t develop an asbestos-related illness until many years after he or she was exposed.

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?