ACandS Inc. was a manufacturer of asbestos-containing insulation products from 1931 to 1974. In the late 1960s, ACandS Inc. began facing lawsuits from workers related to asbestos exposure. The burden of hundreds of thousands of claims ultimately led to the company declaring bankruptcy in 2002, followed by the establishment of the ACandS Asbestos Settlement Trust.
The trust contains millions of dollars available to victims with asbestos-related injuries from ACandS’s products. If you or a loved one worked for ACandS Inc. and have been diagnosed with mesothelioma or lung cancer, find out if you are eligible for compensation from the trust. Contact Bailey & Glasser, LLP for a free consultation with an asbestos attorney.
The Dangers of Asbestos Exposure
Asbestos was a popular manufacturing material due to its affordability, availability and durability. Asbestos is a group of minerals that are naturally resistant to heat, friction and corrosion. It is a versatile substance that was relied on by hundreds of companies to create various consumer goods and building materials. Unfortunately, asbestos is connected to serious, irreversible health effects in those who are exposed.
Asbestos exposure can cause mesothelioma, or cancer of the mesothelium (the layer of tissue that surrounds and protects many of the internal organs). Exposure to asbestos can cause cancer by getting stuck in a victim’s mesothelium if asbestos particles are inhaled or swallowed. Over time, the lodged particles can cause tissue damage and scarring that may turn into malignant tumors, a chronic lung disease known as asbestosis, or pleural problems.
What Asbestos-Containing Products Are ACandS Responsible For?
ACandS Inc., founded in 1958, was formerly known as Armstrong Contracting and Supply Corporation, an insulation manufacturer. As a subsidiary of Armstrong, ACandS sold asbestos insulation products but did not manufacture them. Their main asbestos products were thermal and mechanical insulation, pipe coverings, cement blocks, insulating cement, block insulation, asbestos bricks, and gaskets.
The asbestos-containing products that ACandS sold include:
- Air cell insulation
- Armabestos block insulation and pipe covering
- Armaspray
- Armatemp block insulation
- Armatemp cement No. 10 and No. 166
- Armstrong 85 percent magnesia cement, magnesia pipe and block insulation
- Armstrong Kaytherm pipe covering
- Armstrong LT cork covering
- Armstrong’s plastic emulsion
- Armstrong’s SP emulsion with asbestos
- Asbestos fiber EX-25
- Corlon vinyl asbestos tile
- Duplex wool felt pipe insulation
- Excelon vinyl asbestos tile
- Gaskets: Accobest AN-B012, Accobest AS-474, Accobest AS-8073 and Accopac
- Hy-Temp combination insulation
- Hy-Temp pipe and block insulation
- Hydrocord fiber felt
- Kaylo pipe covering
- Limpet LW25 raw asbestos fiber
- LK block insulation
- LK pipe covering
- Mani-Ply pipe insulation
ACandS stated in 1974 that it would no longer use materials containing asbestos; however, it did not stop using asbestos entirely. According to the company’s bankruptcy filing, it continued to use asbestos until around 1985. ACandS faced nearly 250,000 lawsuits related to its asbestos products from 1981 to 2002. Most of these lawsuits claimed that the company knowingly exposed its workers to asbestos. Eventually, mesothelioma litigation against ACandS forced the company to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and establish an asbestos trust fund.
What Is the ACandS Asbestos Settlement Trust?
Asbestos trust funds are established to compensate victims who have been exposed to a company’s products after the company has gone bankrupt. Trust funds provide financial compensation for a victim’s losses, such as medical bills, lost wages, disability, and pain and suffering. They can also provide surviving family members with death benefits after the death of a loved one due to mesothelioma.
The ACandS Asbestos Settlement Trust was created in 2008 and originally funded with $528 million in assets. The scheduled value of a mesothelioma claim with the trust is $150,000. The percentage of a claim’s value that the asbestos trust fund will pay is currently set at 5.78 percent. Individuals who wish to file claims with the asbestos trust fund must show that they have been diagnosed with an asbestos-related illness and were exposed to an asbestos product installed by ACandS.
Who Is at Risk From ACandS Inc. Asbestos Products?
ACandS Inc. potentially exposed thousands of victims to asbestos through their insulation products. The ACandS Asbestos Settlement Trust has identified nearly 1,500 payment-eligible sites nationwide where asbestos-laden insulation materials were present for decades. This list includes factories, manufacturing plants, shipyards, military bases, schools, hospitals, and various companies and corporations.
Works in high-risk occupations for asbestos exposure from ACandS products include:
- Boilermakers
- Construction workers
- Demolition workers
- Factory workers
- Industrial workers
- Installation clean-up workers (laborers)
- Insulators
- Pipefitters
- Power plant workers
- Sheet metal workers
- Shipyard workers
- Tilers and flooring installers
In addition to these workers, family and household members of employees may be at risk of mesothelioma from secondary asbestos exposure. This can occur when victims are exposed to fibers and particles carried home on asbestos-tainted work clothes. Anyone who laundered these clothes or was around the asbestos fibers could be at risk of injuries.
How to File a Claim With the ACandS Asbestos Settlement Trust
If you worked for ACandS Inc. or Armstrong Contracting and Supply Corporation and developed mesothelioma or another illness related to asbestos exposure, you may be able to recover compensation by filing a claim with the company’s asbestos trust.
Filing a claim with the trust takes the following steps:
- Complete the Claim Form, either online or by printing it out.
- Submit the claim using the trust’s online filing system or mailing a hard copy.
- Submit the required claims materials along with the Claim Form, which includes evidence of an asbestos-related disease and exposure to an ACandS product.
- Documents supporting a lost wage claim, such as tax returns or employment records.
If applicable, you will also need to submit a death certificate and Letters of Administration or proof of a personal representative’s official capacity to file on someone else’s behalf. An asbestos attorney can help you with the process of filing a claim with the ACandS Asbestos Settlement Trust, which can be complicated. If the trust rejects your claim, a lawyer can also help you with an appeal.
Contact Bailey & Glasser, LLP for a Free Case Consultation
If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with mesothelioma and believe it is connected to an insulation product sold by ACandS, contact us for a free case consultation. The attorneys at Bailey & Glasser, LLP can review your case and let you know if you are eligible to collect compensation from the ACandS Asbestos Settlement Trust. We have years of experience representing asbestos victims and can help you during this difficult time. Call (866) 871-7971 to request a free case evaluation.
