Asbestos Companies

Holding Companies Accountable with Asbestos Lawsuits

From the Industrial Revolution through the 1980s, many companies used asbestos in manufacturing without significant regulation — failing to provide appropriate protective equipment or even warn employees about the risks.

Thousands of employees have suffered asbestos exposure at their workplace, causing many to develop serious asbestos-related diseases like mesothelioma.

Because asbestos companies knew the risks of their products, families nationwide have turned to filing asbestos exposure lawsuits for justice.

Asbestos Companies & Litigation at a Glance

• It’s well-documented that asbestos companies knew about the dangers of asbestos but hid this information from workers to protect their profits.
• Some companies covered up the truth for decades before their negligence was exposed.
• Employees and their families can file mesothelioma lawsuits against asbestos companies to hold them accountable for their dangerous products.
• Bankrupt asbestos companies have set an estimated $30 billion aside in trust funds to pay victims for their illnesses.

As a leading national mesothelioma law firm, Simmons Hanly Conroy has successfully helped thousands of families take action against asbestos companies, securing over $9.9 billion nationwide.

Firm Partner Perry Browder has even secured the largest verdict against a single asbestos company in the history of mesothelioma litigation, which was worth $250 million.

List of Companies that Used Asbestos

For decades, many major companies across the United States used asbestos in their products. As a result, thousands of people encountered the substance at their workplace.

“The dangers of asbestos were known to these companies for decades, and they did nothing to inform or protect people.”
– Melissa Crowe Schopfer, Firm Partner

Browse our partial list below of companies that made, used, or sold asbestos-containing products. If you worked for one of these companies or used their products, your family may be at risk.

Get a free consultation now to see if you may be eligible for compensation from an asbestos exposure lawsuit. Our lawyers have successfully helped thousands of families nationwide.

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• We fight to maximize your results
• Many get results in as few as 90 days
• No out-of-pocket costs for your family

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List of Asbestos Companies

These companies may have sold asbestos, manufactured products containing asbestos, or designed products that required the use of asbestos.

Asbestos Company Bankruptcies

During the 20th century, many asbestos companies declared bankruptcy to avoid paying for lawsuits. However, courts ordered these asbestos manufacturers to establish asbestos trust funds to pay current and future asbestos claims.

Today, more than 100 companies have established their own asbestos bankruptcy trusts. Estimates suggest there’s over $30 billion still in these trust funds for asbestos victims and their families.

Some of the bankrupt asbestos companies with trusts include:

• Armstrong World Industries
• Babcock & Wilcox
• DII Industries
• Federal Mogul Corp.
• Flexitallic
• Johns-Manville Corporation
• National Gypsum
• Owens Corning Fibreboard
• Pittsburgh Corning Corp. (PCC)
• Turner & Newall
• United States Gypsum (USG)
• Western Asbestos Company
• W.R. Grace

These are only a few of the companies that declared bankruptcy and set aside funds in asbestos trusts.

Our attorneys can help you file an asbestos trust fund claim from the comfort of your own home, meaning you won’t have to go to court to get the money you deserve. 

Get a free consultation now to see if you may be able to file an asbestos trust fund claim for compensation.

Get a Free Legal Consultation

• We fight to maximize your results
• Many get results in as few as 90 days
• No out-of-pocket costs for your family

Get a Free Legal Consultation

Asbestos Companies Knew the Risks: Understanding the Corporate Cover-Up

The industrialized asbestos industry began in the 1870s. By the turn of the century, European physicians began to notice breathing problems in exposed workers.

These companies were warned about the health risks of asbestos exposure as early as the 1920s. Despite the warnings of medical professionals, many companies continued to manufacture, sell, and design asbestos products — all while failing to provide workers with adequate protective gear.

For decades, industry leaders actively hid the dangers of asbestos from the public:

• 1898: British authorities published the first information about the dangers of asbestos exposure.
• 1918: Nearly 20 years later, the first American sources discussing the health risks to workers were published.
• 1920s: Asbestosis, a chronic lung disease caused by breathing in asbestos fibers, was first identified.
• 1930: The U.S. Department of Labor requested the asbestos industry use exhaust safety methods.
• 1935: Representatives from over 50 of the largest asbestos companies in the U.S. gathered for a “Symposium on Dust Problems,” which began an orchestrated effort to protect the industry and hide the health risks from workers.
• 1936: Trade groups with misleading names were created to give the impression that they were government-sanctioned (like the American Conference of Government Industrial Hygienists) and focused on promoting safety (like The Industrial Hygiene Foundation and National Safety Council).
• 1942: The relationship between asbestos and cancer was established, with reports of mesothelioma surfacing in medical literature as well.

Without any scientific foundation, these industry trade groups created official standards out of thin air. The groups and their members then lobbied governmental organizations to adopt these made-up standards.

Once the asbestos industry convinced government agencies to adopt their made-up standards, these were then used as “proof” of safety for companies defending themselves against asbestos claims.

“We filed a mesothelioma lawsuit to hold companies accountable. I don’t know how these people slept at night, knowing people were being exposed to asbestos, poisoning their bodies. They need to pay anyone that’s been affected by this.”
– John, Mesothelioma Survivor & Firm Client

Creating Made-Up Safety Standards & Legal Defenses

As years went on, executives at asbestos manufacturing companies continued to cover up asbestos-related illnesses among their workers. Doctor’s notes, reports, and memos about the dangers of asbestos were hidden from employees and the public.

Instead of providing protective gear to employees or removing asbestos from the workplace, executives quietly offered small payments to those with health problems, which forced workers to keep quiet about the cause of their illnesses.

Many of the first lawsuits involving asbestos victims were won by the manufacturers, who claimed they also didn’t understand the dangers and risks involved. Their corporate cover-up had been successful.

For evidence during trials, asbestos companies pointed to the “safety” standards they had made up and lobbied the government to adopt — but that only worked for so long.

The Rise in Asbestos Litigation & the Sumner Simpson Papers

In 1977, the decades-long cover-up was exposed when mesothelioma attorneys representing asbestos victims uncovered 6,000 pages of documents called the Sumner Simpson papers.

The concerted action that exposed these innocent workers, service members, and their families to the dangers of asbestos exposure finally came to light.

The Sumner Simpson papers: 

• Revealed the cover-up that industry executives had pulled off for so long
• Showed executives actively hid the health hazards of asbestos while exposing workers
• Marked the beginning of the end for the industry’s lengthy cover-up

After the corporate cover-up was exposed, thousands of victims and their families have pursued asbestos litigation to hold companies accountable for their greed and negligence.

The increase in mesothelioma and asbestos lawsuits that followed the release of this evidence allowed many workers to secure justice and compensation for their illnesses.

“Hiring a law firm with the resources and ability to stand up to these corporations that have endless funds and attorneys to defend them is so important. It keeps families from being overwhelmed and ensures their rights are enforced.”
– Perry Browder, Head of the Asbestos Department

Contact us now to find out if you may be able to pursue compensation from an asbestos lawsuit.

Who Can File an Asbestos Lawsuit?

You may be able to file an asbestos lawsuit if you or a loved one were exposed to asbestos and later diagnosed with mesothelioma or another asbestos-related cancer.

Even if your loved one has already passed away, you may still be able to file a wrongful death lawsuit against the companies responsible for their illness.

You only have a limited amount of time to file a lawsuit against asbestos product manufacturers due to state laws known as statutes of limitations.

At-Risk Jobs for Asbestos Exposure

Due to the widespread use of asbestos in industrial materials, workers across many trades and industries were exposed to this hazardous material by asbestos companies.

More than 75 occupational groups have exposed employees to asbestos in the workplace, and an estimated 1.3 million U.S. workers are currently at risk of exposure.

Occupations with a high risk of asbestos exposure include:

• Bricklayers
• Carpenters
• Coal miners
• Construction workers
• Electricians
• Firefighters
• Insulators
• Laborers
• Machinists
• Mechanics
• Military service members and veterans
• Pipefitters
• Plumbers
• Railroad workers
• Shipbuilders and ship scrappers
• Steel workers
• Tile setters

These are only some of the roles at greater risk of asbestos exposure. Many additional occupations have exposed employees to asbestos.

“I always knew that there was asbestos, but nobody ever said anything about it being dangerous.”
– Walter, Mesothelioma Warrior & U.S. Navy Veteran

Occupational asbestos exposure doesn’t just affect those on the job.

Anyone who works with or near asbestos can bring these dangerous fibers home on their clothes, putting their loved ones at risk of exposure in the process. This is known as secondhand asbestos exposure.

Manufactured Asbestos Products

Asbestos is a natural fiber known for its strength, flexibility, and ability to resist heat and water. For nearly 100 years, asbestos was widely used in thousands of everyday products involved in the construction of homes, ships, automobiles, and more.

Some of these common asbestos-containing products include:

• Acoustical panels and plaster
• Asbestos cement pipe
• Bakelite and heat-resistant plastics
• Boilers
• Brakes
• Ceiling tiles
• Clutches
• Corrugated sheets and paper
• Drilling mud and additive
• Fireclad and fireguard asbestos paper
• Fire-resistant asbestos insulation shields, blankets, and cement
• Floor tiles
• Furnaces
• Gaskets
• Joint compound, textures, and popcorn ceilings
• Packing material
• Paints, paper, and plasters
• Patching fiber and plaster
• Pipe covering and insulation
• Pumps
• Roofing felt, paper, and tiles
• Sheet packing and rope
• Siding
• Valves

Not sure what you were exposed to or when? We can help you figure out which asbestos products you were exposed to — and who’s to blame.

By holding the companies that made these dangerous products accountable, you can secure compensation that can help with medical bills and more.

“We have access to resources that have leveled the playing field against these big companies time and time again.”
– John Barnerd, Firm Partner

Securing Asbestos Lawsuit Settlements in All 50 States

At Simmons Hanly Conroy, we’ve helped over 7,750 families across the country pursue justice from the companies responsible for their illness, securing more than $9.9 billion nationwide.

Some of our past asbestos lawsuit settlements and verdicts include: 

• $20 million to a mechanic exposed to asbestos in brakes manufactured by Ford Motor Company
• $15 million for the family of a laborer exposed to Kaiser Gypsum’s joint compound
• $30 million from J-M Manufacturing after a construction supervisor was diagnosed with mesothelioma
• $5.7 million for a traveling repairman who worked for Worthington Corporation
• $40 million to a U.S. Navy veteran who serviced asbestos-containing gaskets made by Goodyear
• $3 million for a pipefitter who passed away after exposure to asbestos valves made by Crane Co.
• $6 million from Ford Motor Company after the death of a laborer at a custom limousine manufacturer
• $3.8 million to the family of a Washington Penn Plastics maintenance worker

There’s never a guarantee of success in any case, and past results don’t predict future outcomes. Our mesothelioma lawyers strive to get our clients the most compensation in the shortest amount of time possible.

Get Help Holding Asbestos Manufacturers Accountable

At Simmons Hanly Conroy, our dedicated mesothelioma lawyers can identify all of the asbestos manufacturers that may be responsible for your illness and fight to hold them accountable.

Over the last 25 years, we’ve helped thousands of families seek justice, securing more than $9.9 billion for mesothelioma clients across the country.

When filing a mesothelioma claim for compensation, we’ll handle every step of the legal process for you, from gathering evidence to negotiating a settlement on your behalf.

Call (800) 326-8900 now or fill out our contact form to get started. It costs nothing to speak with us, and there are no out-of-pocket costs to work with our lawyers.