Pittsburgh Corning

Pittsburgh Corning purchased the Unibestos line of products, which include various products made from asbestos. The company, however, ended up filing for bankruptcy in the early 2000s. As a result of its discharge from bankruptcy, the company was required to establish a trust fund to compensate the victims of asbestos exposure.

In the early 1960s, the company approved a purchase agreement with another company to purchase the Unibestos line of products. These products contained various products including insulation for pipes. The products were made from asbestos brought from South Africa. The asbestos was then broken into fibers and shipped to plants, where it was bonded with fillers as well as binders.

Until 1971, the company retained an industrial consultant to assess the plants, which were located in Pennsylvania and Texas. They determined that both plants posed substantial harm to workers as a result of asbestos exposure. They ultimately suggested engineering control measures to greatly reduce the possibility of harm. The suggestions were not implemented, though.

In the 1970s, the company stopped the production and distribution of insulation and disassembled its asbestos equipment. The company later filed for bankruptcy in the early 2000s. The company was discharged from bankruptcy in 2016, and Owens Corning subsequently acquired it.

Pittsburgh Corning ultimately filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2000. A federal court confirmed the bankruptcy plan in 2013.

The company's asbestos exposure trust was created as part of an effort to compensate the victims of asbestos exposure. The trust's funding started in 2016, and it began accepting claims in 2017.

The payment percentage of the trust is over 30%, which is much higher than many other comparable asbestos-exposure victim trusts.

The most notable asbestos exposure lawsuit involving the company occurred in 1997 when almost 500 workers at its Texas plant initiated a class-action, which was later resolved for $20 million. During this trial, a scientist who consulted with Pittsburgh Corning in the 1960s, before the purchase of Unibestos, provided testimony that he had met with the company regarding safety procedures over the following decade.

Another case involved a man who was diagnosed with mesothelioma and ultimately passed away from the illness in the late 1980s. The man's wife was awarded over $2 million from the company as well as other liable companies that manufactured asbestos.

Between the 1950s and 1960s, a man worked at the company as a chemical operator, and he was routinely exposed to asbestos. The man later developed lung cancer as a result of that asbestos exposure. The man's widow initiated the case and was later awarded almost $20 million in compensation.

Countless people have been harmed as a result of exposure to asbestos-containing products made by Pittsburgh Corning. If you find yourself in such a situation, do not hesitate to contact the Throneberry Law Group by calling (888)506-1131.