United States Gypsum Asbestos Trust Fund
United States Gypsum manufactured gypsum wallboard and other building products tainted with asbestos until at least 1978, resulting in more than 250,000 lawsuits by exposed workers. United States Gypsum filed for bankruptcy in 2001 and established the USG Asbestos Personal Injury Trust in 2006. Our experienced mesothelioma lawyers can file your USG asbestos trust fund claim and help you recover the compensation you deserve.
- United States Gypsum declared bankruptcy in 2001 in response to hundreds of thousands of asbestos-related lawsuits.
- United States Gypsum established a $4 billion asbestos trust fund in 2006 for the benefit of its asbestos-exposure victims.
- Our knowledgeable lawyers can help you recover mesothelioma compensation from the USG asbestos trust fund if you or your loved one has been diagnosed with an asbestos-related illness from USG products.
United States Gypsum Asbestos Lawsuits
United States Gypsum was formed in 1901 and started manufacturing and marketing gypsum board in 1909. In 1917, it became the first company to develop and market Sheetrock™. This product is the predecessor of the product known as drywall today. United States Gypsum also manufactured numerous related building products.
Many of US Gypsum’s products contained asbestos until approximately 1978. United States Gypsum sold these products to retailers, construction companies, building contractors, and property managers. Workers who manufactured, installed, removed, punctured, or cut into these products were exposed to asbestos.
Many developed mesothelioma, lung cancer, asbestosis, and other asbestos-related illnesses. The company faced thousands of lawsuits and paid millions in damages and legal fees as workers became aware of the connection between asbestos exposure and their illnesses.
Bankruptcy and the USG Asbestos Trust Fund
On June 25, 2001, United States Gypsum filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in response to its asbestos liability. According to the Chicago Tribune, the company had been named in over 250,000 asbestos-related lawsuits in the prior seven years and paid over $450 million in damages and legal fees. At the time of the filing, over 100,000 asbestos lawsuits were pending.
In 2006, when the bankruptcy was approved, the United States Gypsum Company established the USG Asbestos Personal Injury Trust, a $4 billion asbestos trust fund, to comply with Section 524(g) of the Chapter 11 Bankruptcy Code.
Asbestos exposure compensation from USG asbestos trust fund claims includes economic and non-economic damages, such as the following:
- Medical bills
- Lost wages
- Pain and suffering
- Emotional distress
- Wrongful death damages for surviving family members
The fund accepts expedited and individual claims. If approved through expedited review, you may receive a fixed amount based on the category of your disease. If you choose individual review, you could receive a higher or lower amount based on the severity of your condition, your medical expenses, and other unique factors.
The AP Green Merger and Trust Fund
A.P. Green Refractories, Inc. was a clay brick manufacturer that the United States Gypsum Company acquired in 1967. The company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization in February of 2002. A.P. Green faced over 235,000 asbestos exposure lawsuits and over $492 million in unpaid settlements and judgments. The company anticipated hundreds of thousands of additional lawsuits.
United States Gypsum shared liability for asbestos exposure through A.P. Green products because the company was a wholly-owned subsidiary of United States Gypsum. However, A.P. Green established a separate asbestos trust fund as part of its Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization.
US Gypsum Asbestos Trust Eligibility Requirements
To be eligible for compensation from the United States Gypsum Trust Fund, you must present documentation that proves you meet the medical criteria for an asbestos-related disease and that you were exposed to asbestos through United States Gypsum or A.P. Green products.
Medical Requirements
If you have mesothelioma, you will need a diagnosis based on a physical examination performed by the diagnosing physician. If the claimant is deceased, you will need pathological test results, such as biopsy results, to substantiate a wrongful death claim. You must also prove that the disease developed at least 10 years after initial exposure.
The date of your diagnosis is important. You have a limited time to file a USG asbestos trust fund claim. The deadline is based on the mesothelioma statute of limitations in your state. The clock on the statute of limitations generally starts on the date of your diagnosis.
You may also receive trust fund compensation for other conditions, including the following:
- Lung cancer
- Colorectal cancer
- Throat cancer
- Esophageal cancer
- Laryngeal cancer
- Asbestosis
- Pleural disease
The documentation requirements for these conditions include the same documentation required for mesothelioma and more. Your documentation must include a chest X-ray, CAT scan, or pathology report showing interstitial fibrosis, pleural plaques, pleural thickening, or pleural calcification on both sides. For cancerous conditions other than mesothelioma, you must provide a statement from your doctor linking the cancer to asbestos exposure.
Exposure Requirements
You must provide documentation proving you were exposed to asbestos in products from United States Gypsum or its subsidiaries or that its contractors manufactured, supplied, installed, maintained, or repaired. Your evidence must show that you worked at a site where United States Gypsum asbestos was present and that you experienced significant exposure.
The asbestos exposure site must be included on the trust’s list of approved sites or close to such a site. If the site where you were exposed is not listed, the trust will accept records that prove you worked near USG products.
To prove you experienced significant exposure over time, you must provide records that show five or more cumulative years of employment in which you did at least one of the following:
- Regularly handled raw asbestos fibers.
- Fabricated asbestos-containing products in a way that resulted in heavy exposure on a regular basis.
- Worked with asbestos-containing products in a way that would have released asbestos fibers, such as cutting or puncturing asbestos-tainted materials.
- Worked in close proximity to workers with significant asbestos exposure.
Asbestos in US Gypsum Products
United States Gypsum used asbestos in its fire-resistant drywall, joint compound, plaster products, Sheetrock™, roofing products, siding products, heat insulating materials, paint products, sound control products, and other building products from 1920 to 1978.
US Gypsum Products Containing Asbestos
United States Gypsum manufactured and sold hundreds of asbestos products, including the following:
- USG Hi-Lite Acoustical Plaster
- USG Durabond joint compound
- USG exterior textured wallboard finish
- USG Imperial plaster
- USG joint compound
- USG Perf-A-Tape joint cement
- USG Plaster
- USG Acoustical plaster
- USG QT spray textured coating
- USG RedTop plaster
- USG Textolite spackling putty
- USG Roof shingles
- USG Sabinite plaster
- USG Textolite paint
- USG Textone paint
- USG Sheetrock Textured coating
- US Gypsume cement regular plaster
- USG Firecode plaster
- USG Imperial plaster
- USG RedTop Cement plaster manufactured from 1920-1958
- USG RedTop Gypsum-based plaster manufactured from 1920-1958
- USG RedTop Firecode plaster manufactured from 1962-1969
- USG Gypsum Structolite manufactured from 1950-21975
- USG Mineral-based Cafco Sound-Shield
- USG Structo-Lite-Perlited Gypsum plaster
Occupations at Risk for Exposure
Workers exposed to asbestos in United States Gypsum products include US Gypsum employees involved in manufacturing products that contained asbestos and employees of companies that purchased and used such products. The following workers may have experienced significant occupational asbestos exposure from US Gypsum products:
- Construction workers
- Electricians
- Factory workers
- HVAC workers
- Maintenance workers
- Plumbers and pipefitters
- Roofers
- Shipyard workers
- Drywall workers
- Painters
- Carpenters
Don't Wait, File Your USG Asbestos Trust Claim Today
Our award-winning mesothelioma lawyers have recovered over $4 billion in case results. If you or a loved one have been diagnosed with mesothelioma or another asbestos-related illness after being exposed to asbestos in USG products, you may be eligible for substantial compensation through the USG asbestos trust fund.
Critical filing deadlines apply. Don’t wait. Get the compensation you deserve for your diagnosis. Call Gori Law today at (618) 659-9833 or contact us online for your free mesothelioma consultation.
