The Bestwall Gypsum Company asbestos trust fund has been proposed but isn’t up and running yet. The company manufactured asbestos wallboard and compounds until it declared bankruptcy in 2017. Georgia-Pacific spun off Bestwall to manage asbestos claims through this future trust.
Quick Facts About Bestwall Gypsum Company Trust Fund and Lawsuits
Founded:
1961
Years Operated:
1962 - present
Headquarters:
Atlanta, Georgia
Business:
Manufactures building products
Asbestos Trust:
No
Bankruptcy Status:
Not bankrupt
The Bestwall Gypsum Company Asbestos Trust Fund
This trust doesn’t exist yet and isn’t paying any claims at this time. Despite being proposed years ago, the trust has yet to receive court approval. The bankruptcy proceedings that began in 2017 are still ongoing.
The root of these delays stems from Georgia-Pacific’s controversial “Texas Two-Step” bankruptcy strategy. In 2017, Georgia-Pacific created Bestwall LLC specifically to hold all its asbestos liabilities, gave it $175 million and then immediately had Bestwall file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in North Carolina. This maneuver, which involved temporarily moving headquarters to Texas for a single day, is being challenged as a solvent parent company’s bad-faith filing, attempting to avoid responsibility for more than 62,000 pending mesothelioma lawsuits.
Courts continue to hear appeals questioning whether this bankruptcy should even be allowed to proceed. Legal experts suggest the fights over jurisdiction and the bankruptcy itself could continue for years. People with legitimate asbestos claims remain in legal limbo, unable to access compensation while the case remains in the courts. If you have an asbestos claim against Bestwall or Georgia-Pacific, speak with an experienced mesothelioma lawyer to explore your compensation options.
Legal Help for People Exposed to Bestwall Gypsum Company Asbestos Products
Without a Bestwall Gypsum Company asbestos trust fund, people who developed mesothelioma or lung cancer as a result of exposure to the company’s asbestos products will benefit from expert legal help. Your experienced asbestos lawyer will be able to help you determine all of your options such as filing lawsuits or trust fund claims with other responsible companies and workers’ compensation.
Finding an attorney with extensive experience in cases like yours can seem daunting. A Patient Advocate can match you with a lawyer who has a record of success and whose communication style and approach makes you and your family comfortable.
Your Patient Advocate will provide you and your family with 24/7 confidential support. In addition to referrals to a top lawyer, they can connect you with a renowned mesothelioma specialist, schedule your appointments, help you navigate insurance, manage your VA benefits claims and introduce you to survivor and caregiver support groups, as well as send you free resources on topics like treatment options and nutrition.
Mesothelioma Lawsuits Involving Bestwall Gypsum Company
Beginning in the late 1970s, employees and customers with asbestos-related diseases connected to asbestos exposure from Bestwall and Georgia-Pacific began filing lawsuits. It wasn’t long before the company was named in thousands of lawsuits. By 2017, Georgia-Pacific had faced 430,000 lawsuits and paid nearly $2.9 billion in defending and resolving asbestos lawsuits.
Lawsuits Involving Bestwall Gypsum Company
$9.4 million: A Florida jury awarded this amount to painter Roy Taylor in 2015, which represented 55% of a total $17 million verdict against multiple defendants. He sanded Bestwall joint compounds while painting in Saudi Arabia. Decades later, he was diagnosed with mesothelioma while living in the U.S.
Merlin Olsen’s confidential settlement: Professional NFL player, Football Hall of Famer and actor Merlin Olsen filed a lawsuit in 2009 after his mesothelioma diagnosis. His suit claimed construction work and later broadcasting exposed him to Bestwall drywall products. His widow settled for an undisclosed amount in 2011 after his 2010 death.
Daniel Stupino’s confidential settlement: Daniel Stupino worked in New York from 1974 to 1983 renovating apartments. He used Bestwall’s joint compound, which contained asbestos. Sanding created heavy dust in the air, including microscopic asbestos fibers he inhaled. Stupino settled his lawsuit mid-trial and died of mesothelioma in 2012 at age 63.
These high-profile cases show how Bestwall products led to serious asbestos-related diseases decades after initial exposure. People diagnosed with mesothelioma from Bestwall and Georgia-Pacific should consult their lawyer for their best options for pursuing mesothelioma compensation.
More Than $32 Billion in Trust Funds Available
Asbestos trust funds were created to help people exposed to asbestos. We make it simple to start your claim.
Bestwall Gypsum Company used asbestos in gypsum wallboard and joint compounds from 1956 until U.S. laws banned it in joint compounds in 1977. Workers and installers breathed in these toxic mineral fibers during manufacturing, installation and sanding. The company’s products put the public at risk of cancer.
CertainTeed spun off Bestwall in 1956, and Georgia-Pacific acquired it in 1965. Georgia-Pacific branded the asbestos products after that point. Employees at Bestwall and Georgia-Pacific plants, plus contractors who filled gaps between drywall sheets, faced regular exposure.
Executives knew asbestos caused harm but didn’t warn workers or users. In fact, the company court documents submitted in lawsuits showed the company had falsified research to fight litigation against it.
Who Was at Risk of Asbestos Exposure From Bestwall Gypsum Company?
Workers in many trades faced asbestos exposure on the job from Bestwall and Georgia-Pacific asbestos products like drywall and joint compounds. People who handled joint compounds to seal drywall seams faced heavy dust exposure that settled on clothes, skin and lungs over many years.
Higher Risk Occupations
Carpenters
Construction workers
Drywall workers
Home repair workers
HVAC workers
Maintenance workers
Shipyard workers
Occupational exposure to asbestos is a major cause of asbestos-related deaths. According to a European Commission report, more than 70,000 workers died in 2019 because of illnesses linked to previous asbestos exposure.
Bestwall Gypsum Company’s Asbestos Products
Bestwall Gypsum and Georgia-Pacific sold drywall and joint compounds that contained asbestos from 1956 until U.S. regulations banned it in 1977. Workers mixed these products with water and applied them to seal seams between drywall panels during construction of homes, offices and ships.
Sanding created heavy clouds of asbestos dust that workers inhaled without protection for decades. Additionally, many homeowners used these compounds to fix dents or holes in their walls, creating a risk of asbestos exposure.
Asbestos Products From Bestwall Gypsum
Acoustical plaster
All-purpose joint compound
Bedding compound
Central mix
Dry-mixed joint compound
Drywall adhesive
Kalite
Laminating CPD ready mix
Lite acoustic plaster
Machine-applied acoustical plaster
Patching plaster
Ready Mix joint compound
Spackling compound
Speed Set joint compound
Texture compound
Topping compound
Triple Duty joint compound
Wet-mixed joint compound
These products reached construction sites, shipyards and factories nationwide, creating widespread risk before asbestos bans took effect. People diagnosed with mesothelioma from this exposure can still pursue claims through ongoing Bestwall litigation.
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D. Carl Money is an attorney at Nemeroff Law. He has devoted his career to fighting for workers diagnosed with mesothelioma and their families. Money has more than 25 years of experience fighting for people with asbestos-related diseases. He’s licensed in Texas, New York, England and Wales and belongs to various legal organizations across the U.S. and U.K.
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