C.E. Thurston & Sons

C.E. Thurston & Sons started its operation by providing insulated products as well as other services for industrial environments with extreme temperatures. The company functioned under various contracts including marine, commercial, and industrial. These contracts frequently addressed the sale, insulation, maintenance, repair, and removal of equipment containing asbestos.

Even though the company did not produce asbestos-containing products, the company did not inform its workers about the harms posed by handling various products that were routinely used in the company’s operations.

Being exposed to asbestos can, unfortunately, result in mesothelioma as well as lung cancer, asbestosis, and other deadly respiratory illnesses. Workers who were exposed to microscopic asbestos material years ago are often diagnosed with these deadly conditions. C.E. Thurston & Sons faced various lawsuits before eventually declaring bankruptcy and creating the C.E. Thurston & Sons Inc. Asbestos Trust as a term of that legal process.

C.E. Thurson Senior established his small business in 1919 when he started representing local manufacturers in Virginia. Soon, Thurston started expanding his business by introducing services including insulation and refractory contracting. In the late 1940s, the company was incorporated as C.E. Thurston & Sons Incorporated and later moved its headquarters to Norfolk, Virginia.

C.E. Thurston never produced asbestos-containing materials. The company also never mined asbestos. C.E. Thurston, however, routinely used, distributed, repaired, and interacted with asbestos-containing products in other ways, which placed its workers at risk of exposure.

As the risks of asbestos exposure became public, C.E. Thurston & Sons eventually stopped selling their products related to the material. This move, however, did not do anything for workers who had already been exposed to the harmful  asbestos.

While the number of lawsuits involving asbestos exposure increased, the company attempted to resolve these personal injury lawsuits. In the mid-1980s, the company joined over 30 asbestos companies as well as 16 insurance companies to establish an Agreement Concerning Asbestos-Related Claims referred to as the “Wellington Agreement,” The Agreement established the Asbestos Claims Facility to address and compensate both current and future personal injury claims involving asbestos exposure.

Several years later, a couple of companies exited the agreement, which resulted in the creation of a new entity referred to as the Center for Claims Resolution Incorporated. The new mechanism for resolving claims created under the 1988 Producer Agreement Concerning Center for Claims Resolution addressed outstanding Wellington Agreement insurance statements and new personal injury claims involving asbestos exposure.

Following the end of this agreement, C.E. Thurston & Sons again worked to resolve asbestos-associated personal injury claims. C.E. Thurston negotiated many asbestos settlements with individuals and groups of people.

Then, in 2003, C.E. Thurston filed the necessary paperwork to pursue bankruptcy. As part of the company’s reorganization plan, the company’s asbestos trust was established in 2006 to compensate current and future asbestos-associated personal injury claims.

The company eventually was discharged from bankruptcy, but still operates as a contractor in various industries including cold storage and insulation. The company also offers various services including those related to asbestos and lead abatement.

If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with either mesothelioma or an associated illness, you should not hesitate to speak with an experienced attorney. Contact the Throneberry Law Group today to schedule a free case evaluation if you or a loved one was exposed to an asbestos-containing product manufactured by C.E. Thurston & Sons.