The E.J. Bartells Company

The E.J. Bartells Company sold various products including insulation and refractory products known to include asbestos. As a result, in recent years, the company has been involved in many lawsuits involving asbestos exposure. Due to the pressure brought on by these asbestos exposure lawsuits, the company was forced to file for bankruptcy in 2000. As a term of its emergence from bankruptcy, the company was required to establish a $20 million trust to compensate both current and future asbestos exposure victims.

Edin Bartells established the E.J. Bartells Company in the early 1920s to provide the most comprehensive line of refractory and insulation products as well as services available. Up until the 1970s, the company manufactured various products using asbestos. The material was valued by many due to its heat-resistant and durable nature.

Throughout the company’s life, it engaged in business with various big companies including Xerox, Boeing, and J.H. Kelly among many others. A large number of these companies also engaged in the business of manufacturing products that contain asbestos.

E.J. Bartells was later purchased and ultimately merged with Distribution International. In 2021, these merged companies were purchased by TopBuild. The company stopped engaging in business sometime in the early 2000s and became an officially inactive corporation in 2004.

For many years, E.J. Bartells exposed countless people to the dangers of asbestos-containing mechanical insulation, air handling units, and HVAC units. The remains of the company currently produce these products following regulations addressing asbestos safety.

The EJ Bartells Corporation faced various asbestos-exposure-related lawsuits due to the company’s use of asbestos. These lawsuits arose from previous workers as well as those who utilized asbestos-containing products manufactured by the company.

One asbestos exposure lawsuit against the company was brought by the wife of an electrician and machinist. This woman brought a wrongful death lawsuit against several companies claiming that they exposed her husband to asbestos. One of these companies was the EJ Bartells Company. A jury determined that the company was partially responsible for the death of the man from mesothelioma. As a result, the jury ultimately awarded the surviving loved one compensation in the form of $3 million in punitive damages, over $1 million in noneconomic damages, and around $300,000 in a compensatory award.

Another lawsuit against the company was brought by the surviving loved ones of a former worker who passed away from asbestosis. The surviving loved ones sought death benefits as well as disability benefits and compensation for burial and funeral costs. The family was ultimately awarded compensation in the form of $750 monthly payments over 20 years.

Over the years, a large number of people including workers and consumers were exposed to asbestos-containing products manufactured by EJ Bartells. If you or a loved one finds yourself in such a situation, you should not hesitate to speak with an experienced attorney. Contact Throneberry Law Group today to schedule a free case evaluation.