Durabla Manufacturing Company produced and distributed many products that contained asbestos despite known health risks associated with this toxic substance. For years, Durabla exposed workers and consumers to asbestos fibers that can cause serious and deadly illnesses. The Durabla Trust was established in 2012 to help compensate victims with mesothelioma, lung cancer and other asbestos-related illnesses.
Find out if you are eligible for compensation from the Durabla Trust by consulting with an attorney at Bailey & Glasser, LLP. We offer free case consultations with experienced asbestos attorneys.
What Illnesses Are Connected to Asbestos Exposure?
Asbestos is a confirmed carcinogen, according to the International Agency for Research on Cancer. All six types of this naturally occurring mineral can cause cancer in people who are exposed. The National Cancer Institute states that there is no safe level of asbestos exposure. Inhaling or ingesting asbestos just once can be enough to result in serious health problems. However, the odds of developing a related illness increase exponentially with the amount of exposure.
Illnesses associated with asbestos exposure include:
Asbestos exposure can cause illnesses by becoming lodged in the inner tissues of the body, where they can remain for many decades. Over time (the average latency period is 20-60+ years from the date of exposure to the date of diagnosis), the particles can cause enough irritation to result in health problems, including cancer.
Mesothelioma is an aggressive cancer of the mesothelial tissues, with an average life expectancy of 12 to 21 months with treatment, according to the National Library of Medicine. Other asbestos-related illnesses are chronic conditions that can have a major impact on a victim’s quality of life and ability to work.
What Asbestos Products Did Durabla Manufacture?
Like many manufacturers in the 1900s, Durabla Manufacturing Company integrated asbestos into its products as a cost-effective alternative to other ingredients. Asbestos was mined and processed in abundance, making it cheap and easy to obtain. It was utilized to manufacture various consumer goods, products and building materials for its natural properties such as its ability to resist heat, chemicals and corrosion.
Durabla, founded in 1911, operated as a sheet gasket producer for industrial manufacturers. One of Durabla’s clients was the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company, to which it supplied sheet gaskets from 1914 until 1973. Durabla also manufactured packing materials. Despite the health risks of asbestos being documented by physicians as early as the 1920s, Durabla chose to protect its profit margins rather than people by continuing to use this mineral in its products.
What Is an Asbestos Trust Fund?
Although the use of asbestos in consumer products became regulated by the U.S. government in the 1970s for public health and safety reasons, these actions came too late for hundreds of thousands of victims who had already been exposed to asbestos. Asbestos product manufacturers faced an onslaught of lawsuits brought by victims who suffered serious illnesses such as mesothelioma and lung cancer due to exposure. A solution to paying these victims was the formation of asbestos trust funds.
U.S. Asbestos Bankruptcy Trusts Funds were established to help compensate victims – mainly, employees, their families and consumers – for asbestos exposure resulting in related diseases. When a company establishes an asbestos trust fund, assets are reserved for claimants who have been diagnosed with an asbestos-related disease and can prove exposure to asbestos products manufactured by the company. These trust funds arise as part of a legal process known as bankruptcy reorganization.
Asbestos exposure victims who have been diagnosed with mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases can seek compensation from asbestos settlement trusts belonging to the bankrupt companies that were responsible for their illnesses. Surviving loved ones of a deceased individual can also qualify for compensation from an asbestos trust fund. In some cases, mesothelioma victims can file both asbestos trust claims and personal injury lawsuits in pursuit of financial compensation.
About the Durabla Asbestos Trust
In 2009, Durabla Manufacturing Company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy after substantial financial losses due to asbestos litigation. The Durabla Trust was formed in 2012 and initially funded with approximately $16 million in assets. This trust is currently accepting claims from individuals who have suffered losses due to exposure to one of Durabla’s asbestos products, including being diagnosed with an asbestos-related disease or losing a loved one to a fatal illness. In 2022, approximately 4,100 claims were filed with the Durabla Trust.
How Much Compensation Is Available?
The amount of financial compensation that may be available to an asbestos exposure victim from a trust fund claim depends on the circumstances, including the type of diagnosis, the claimant’s age and disability, the industry of exposure, and how the trustees have decided to distribute its funds.
The Durabla Trust has assigned the following values to trust fund claims:
| Scheduled Disease | Scheduled Value | Average Value | Maximum Value |
| Mesothelioma (Level VII) | $7,000 | $8,000 | $15,000 |
| Lung Cancer 1 (Level VI) | $3,500 | $4,000 | $7,000 |
| Lung Cancer 2 (Level V) | None | $1,200 | $2,500 |
| Other Cancer (Level IV) | $1,100 | $1,200 | $2,500 |
| Severe Asbestosis (Level III) | $3,500 | $4,000 | $7,000 |
| Asbestosis/Pleural Disease
(Level II) |
$900 | None | None |
| Asbestosis/Pleural Disease
(Level I) |
$500 | None | None |
The Durabla Trust also uses a payment percentage, as do most asbestos trust funds. This establishes a percentage rate at which a claim’s value will be paid to the claimant. As of 2023, the payment percentage for the Durabla Trust was 26 percent. This means a claimant will receive 26 percent of the assigned value of a claim. Payment percentages are used to ensure that funds will remain available in the trust for future claimants.
Get Help Filing a Claim With the Durabla Trust | Contact Bailey & Glasser, LLP
If you wish to file a claim with the Durabla Trust, start by contacting an attorney at Bailey & Glasser, LLP to schedule a free consultation. We will carefully review your case to determine if you have grounds to seek compensation from the trust. If so, we will assist you with the claims process, including filling out and filing the required claims forms and supporting documentation.
You may also be eligible for additional compensation through a mesothelioma lawsuit against Durabla Manufacturing Company for negligently exposing you or a loved one to asbestos. Our team of asbestos attorneys will guide you and your family through every part of the financial recovery process. Call (866) 871-7971 for more information.
