Bell Asbestos Mines Trust Fund and Lawsuits

Information About Bell Asbestos Mines Asbestos Trust Fund

Turner & Newall acquired Bell Asbestos Mines in 1936, later Federal Mogul Corporation acquired Turner & Newall. As part of Federal-Mogul’s reorganization plan, a separate fund was created to handle only lawsuits against Turner & Newall, which included claims resulting from Bell Asbestos Mines. The fund, named the T&N Subfund of the Federal-Mogul Asbestos Injury Trust, began accepting claims in August 2010. It was initially funded with $635 million.

Bell Asbestos Mines Asbestos Trust Updates

1. The current payment percentage is 3.9%.
2. Mesothelioma has a scheduled payment of $200,000.
3. Lung cancer has a scheduled payment of $42,500.
4. Other cancers have a scheduled payment of $14,750.

Similar to other asbestos trust funds, the T&N Subfund offers claimants a choice of processing method: expedited or individual. The expedited claims process takes less time, but a single, fixed payment is dispensed to all claimants regardless of exposure or health condition. Individual reviews take more time, and payment amounts vary.

Legal Help for People Exposed to Bell Asbestos Mines Asbestos Products

Workers who mined or handled Bell Asbestos Mines’ raw chrysotile and later developed mesothelioma or other asbestos diseases receive significant value from qualified legal counsel. A mesothelioma lawyer supports claimants with exposure timelines, employment documentation and diagnostic reports, then delivers timely claims to the Federal-Mogul Asbestos Trust that covers Bell-linked liabilities.

Workers often came in contact with asbestos products from numerous sources across jobsites so a proven asbestos attorney can investigate your entire career path. Your lawyer balances trust filings and litigation efforts, aligning payouts precisely where regulations require offsets.

Our Patient Advocates swiftly pair you with counsel versed in Bell Asbestos claims. They deliver aid like specialist referrals, community links, caregiver tools and benefits coordination.​

Asbestos Litigation Involving Bell Asbestos Mines

Bell Asbestos Mines faced several liabilities related to asbestos exposure. From 1932 until the late 1970s, it supplied raw asbestos fiber to many U.S. manufacturing companies. Turner & Newall defended numerous asbestos lawsuits filed by plaintiffs exposed to asbestos during the processing or transport of raw asbestos. Turner & Newall also faced many lawsuits related to Sprayed Limpet Asbestos, which it sold in the U.S. from 1967 until 1974.

Geneva Fischer Awarded Nearly $400,000 in Liability Case

In 1984, a New Jersey jury awarded Geneva Fischer $391,000 in her lawsuit against suppliers of asbestos materials. Several defendants named initially in the case were narrowed to just three: Johns Manville, Bell Asbestos Mines and Celotex Corporation.

The jury found Johns Manville 80% liable and Bell 20% liable for the death of Geneva Fischer’s husband, James, who died of asbestos-related lung cancer. Mr. Fischer worked with a variety of asbestos products from 1938 to 1942. Bell was ordered to pay $5,000 in compensatory damages and $60,000 in punitive damages.

Fischer’s lawsuit claimed the companies failed to warn of the dangers of working with asbestos products. Fischer never wore protective equipment and wasn’t instructed on safe handling of asbestos by his employer or by the suppliers of the products, Johns Manville and Bell.

The two companies appealed the ruling, but the Supreme Court of New Jersey affirmed the judgment on July 31, 1986. Claims against Celotex Corporation were dismissed.

Major Decision Made in Washington D.C.

In 1985, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia denied the motions to dismiss defendants Turner & Newall, Atlas-Turner Inc. and Bell Asbestos Mines from the case McDaniel v. Armstrong World Industries.

The motions alleged that the court lacked personal jurisdiction over the defendants, since they had not had contacts with the district for more than a decade at the time of the lawsuit.

Plaintiff Fletcher McDaniel worked as a plasterer’s helper from 1950 to 1982, working at various job sites in and around Washington D.C. McDaniel, who was diagnosed with pulmonary disease in 1983, claimed he was exposed to asbestos-containing products during his career, including Sprayed Limpet Asbestos Courts around the U.S. would later refine statutes of limitations for those diagnosed with asbestos-related diseases, given the unusually long latency periods associated with the illnesses.

Delaware Court Grants Summary Judgment

On Oct. 6, 2011, the Superior Court of the State of Delaware granted Bell Asbestos Mines’ motion for summary judgment. A court order that means no factual issues remain to be tried. All causes of action in the legal claim could be decided based on the facts without a trial.

Plaintiffs Robert and Carolyn Truitt sued Bell Asbestos Mines and Atlas Asbestos Co., along with other defendants who manufactured, installed, supplied or were otherwise associated with asbestos products. Robert Truitt, diagnosed with asbestosis and lung cancer, reportedly used sprayed Limpet asbestos during his employment at the DuPont nylon manufacturing plant in Seaford, Delaware.

At that time, Bell owned Atlas, but since the companies later split into separate corporations, it was unclear which of the two successor companies should be held liable for Truitt’s injuries. The Superior Court of Delaware ruled that Bell was entitled to summary judgment “given the corporate identity between Bell and Atlas Turner at the time when the harm was alleged to have occurred,” according to court documents. As the case did not go to trial, it was settled out of court for an undisclosed amount.

Bell Asbestos Mines’ History With Asbestos

Bell Asbestos Mines operated for more than a century in Quebec’s Thetford Mines, a region rich in naturally occurring asbestos. Workers opened the mine in 1876 as one of the first large-scale sites. They extracted chrysotile fiber that companies used worldwide.

Turner & Newall took control in 1936. The firm shipped raw asbestos to the U.S. and mixed it into products like Sprayed Limpet Asbestos, cements and textiles. Insulation crews sprayed Limpet on steel beams, walls and turbines for fireproofing and sound control.

Sprayed Limpet held 60% asbestos, 38% cement and 2% mineral oil. Workers mixed fibers on-site, which released heavy asbestos exposure. The U.S. banned high-asbestos sprays in 1976. Miners, millers and applicators later faced mesothelioma risks.

Federal Mogul Corporation acquired Turner & Newall and inherited the claims. Lawsuits forced that firm into bankruptcy. It set up a trust fund to compensate people harmed by Bell asbestos.

Who Was at Risk of Asbestos Exposure From Bell Asbestos Mines?

The occupations most at risk of direct asbestos exposure from Bell Asbestos Mines were miners and millers of chrysotile asbestos. In addition to these workers, Limpet and other asbestos products by Turner & Newall exposed many construction workers and people working in sites where Limpet was applied. 

Higher Risk Jobs

• Carpenters
• Chemical plant workers
• Construction workers
• Electricians
• Factory workers
• HVAC workers
• Insulation workers
• Metal workers
• Millers
• Miners
• Painters
• Power plant workers
• Refinery workers
• Teachers

Many workers in these occupations faced frequent and prolonged contact with toxic asbestos fibers, increasing their risk of developing serious health conditions. People in these jobs must know the risks and take appropriate safety measures to reduce exposure.

Bell Asbestos Mines Asbestos Products

Bell Asbestos Mines produced raw chrysotile asbestos fiber. Turner & Newall used this fiber to manufacture several asbestos products.

Bell Asbestos Mines Asbestos-Containing Products 

• Asbestos adhesives
• Asbestos cement
• Asbestos insulation materials
• Asbestos paper
• Asbestos textiles, including yarn and cloth
• Sprayed Limpet Asbestos

Workers sprayed Limpet Asbestos in schools, public buildings, churches and hospitals. They also used it in manufacturing plants, auto assembly lines, metal factories, power plants and oil refineries.

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