Quick Facts About DII Industries Trust Fund and Lawsuits
  • wavy circle icon with check mark inside
    Founded:
    1919
  • calendar icon
    Years Operated:
    1919-Present
  • gray building icon
    Headquarters:
    Dallas, Texas
  • businessman icon standing next to a globe
    Business:
    Provides products and services to the oil and gas industries
  • icon of a building with a dollar sign on it
    Asbestos Trust:
    Yes (established in 2005)
  • downward arrow with blocks representing cash
    Bankruptcy Status:
    Filed in 2003

Overview of the DII Industries Asbestos Trust

Asbestos packing example
Asbestos packing used to create seals around industrial pump shafts and pipe valve stems.

The Halliburton asbestos trust was officially called the DII Industries LLC Asbestos PI Trust since its creation on Jan. 20, 2005. It was part of the DII Chapter 11 Joint Plan of Reorganization. Halliburton Company is the parent organization of DII Industries. 

The DII Industries LLC Asbestos PI Trust pays compensation to eligible claimants. Claimants developed diseases from asbestos exposure linked to Halliburton subsidiaries like Harbison-Walker Refractories Company and Dresser Industries Inc.​

DII Industries Asbestos Trust Updates

  1. The current payment percentage is 60%.
  2. Mesothelioma has a scheduled payment of $136,500.
  3. Lung cancer has a scheduled payment of $44,900.
  4. Other cancers have a scheduled payment of $24,000.

The Trust Distribution Procedure sets criteria for verify claims. It calculates payment percentages for claimants. Claimants submit forms with medical diagnosis proof and exposure evidence before Dec. 31, 1982. They file by mail or through the Trust Online. The trust reviews claims in 6 months, sends offer letters and payments in 1 to 2 months.​

Legal Help for People Exposed to DII Industries’ Asbestos Products

Experienced mesothelioma attorneys guide people diagnosed with mesothelioma or asbestos diseases through DII trust claims. They collect work records, medical proof and exposure details. These lawyers meet trust deadlines and maximize payouts.​

Many workers handled products from several companies over their careers. Asbestos attorneys investigate complete job histories. They identify firms that have never gone bankrupt for direct lawsuits. Lawyers also check workers’ compensation options. They balance trust claims with other sources.

Our Patient Advocates match you with top asbestos lawyers fast. They offer free help 24/7. Advocates also connect you to specialists, support groups and insurance aid.​

Notable Lawsuits Against DII Industries

Asbestos lawsuits against Halliburton reached hundreds of thousands by the early 2000s. While these verdicts were a win for claimants and set necessary precedents for future cases, the volume of claims caused Halliburton’s stock to plummet. 

The company decided to file for bankruptcy and restructure in an effort to stay in business. It established the DII asbestos trust to halt lawsuits and create a fund to compensate claimants.

Asbestos Litigation Compensation

  • $900 million: Total settlements paid out by Halliburton in 2002-2004, before the courts approved its bankruptcy.
  • $112 million: The total of asbestos verdicts issued against Harbison-Walker in 2001, excluding the $40 million from another lawsuit.
  • $40 million: Amount of an asbestos verdict award to 5 claimants from Harbison-Walker.

Claimants who seek compensation from the Halliburton asbestos trust for asbestos-related illnesses should work with an experienced asbestos or mesothelioma lawyer. These attorneys specialize in asbestos claims and can assist in the filing process. They often have access to resources that make it easier to prove claims, resulting in better outcomes for claimants.

The Trust Distribution Procedure establishes criteria to verify claims and calculate the Halliburton asbestos trust payment percentage issued to claimants. The payout amount varies by disease. Currently, expedited review claims pay out at 60%. Individual reviews take longer to process and may result in a claim greater or less than the 60% payment percentage. 

The trust requires all claimants submit the claim form along with verification of their medical diagnosis and exposure to qualify. Proof of exposure by DII and other businesses DII is legally responsible for must have happened before Dec. 31, 1982. Claimants can file by mail or use Trust Online to expedite the process. The trust typically reviews claims within 6 months. Once reviewed, the claimant gets an offer letter to sign and return. Payment is generally issued within 1 to 2 months of the trust receiving the signed Allowance Letter and Release. 

$30B+ IN TRUST FUNDS AVAILABLE
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DII Industries Asbestos History

Halliburton acquired companies that used asbestos like Harbison-Walker, DII Industries and Kellogg Brown and Root Inc. Legal ownership shifted all asbestos claims to Halliburton. Workers faced high exposure risks during manufacturing and use. Welders, pipefitters and boilermakers encountered the most danger. Insulation workers, manufacturing staff and maintenance crews breathed fibers too.

Family members faced secondary exposure from asbestos fibers on workers’ clothing, skin or hair. Fibers spread during laundry or when handling clothes. Thousands of claims led Halliburton to file Chapter 11 bankruptcy on Dec. 16, 2003. The firm created the DII Industries LLC Asbestos PI Trust for payouts.​

Halliburton, Harbison-Walker and Dresser Industries

Harbison-Walker, established in 1865, manufactured products with asbestos into the 1970s. Dresser Industries Inc., a company that provided a range of services and asbestos products to the oil and gas industries, merged with Harbison-Walker in 1967. Asbestos lawsuits against both these companies began to increase in the 1990s. 

In 1998, the combined companies merged with oil pipeline servicing company Halliburton in a $7.7 billion deal. Part of the deal was to obtain help from Halliburton, then run by then-Vice President Dick Cheney, to handle the increasing volume of asbestos lawsuits. The merger initially appeared to be an excellent business move, but the increasingly overwhelming volume of asbestos claims made against Harbison-Walker and Dresser Industries soon underscored Halliburton’s new liabilities.

Halliburton received more than 300,000 claims from Dresser Industries alone. By the early 2000s, the company couldn’t keep up with settlement payouts, so Halliburton filed for bankruptcy and established the trust as part of its restructuring efforts. 

DII Industries Jobs at Risk of Asbestos Exposure

Occupational asbestos exposure is responsible for most cases of malignant mesothelioma. Workers who handled asbestos directly were at the highest risk of developing asbestos-related diseases. Any workers whose job duties placed them in areas contaminated by asbestos fibers were also in danger.

Higher Risk Occupations

  • Boilermakers
  • Brickmakers
  • Cement workers
  • Construction workers
  • Electricians
  • Engineers
  • Manufacturing plant workers
  • Masonry workers
  • Metal workers
  • Miners
  • Oil refinery workers
  • Pipefitters
  • Shipyard workers
  • Train workers
  • Truck drivers

Asbestos exposure was common across many job duties at Harbison-Walker and Dresser Industries. Although current asbestos regulations limit the use of asbestos and enforce strict safety protocols, new cases of mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases continue to emerge in former employees. This is because the latency period of diseases such as mesothelioma is 20 to 60 years after the asbestos exposure occurred. 

DII Industries Products That Contained Asbestos

Companies under DII Industries produced many asbestos-containing products. Workers experienced exposure through handling raw materials, manufacturing products, packing and transporting finished goods.

Asbestos-Containing DII Products

  • Alco locomotives
  • Asbestos millboard
  • Asbestos rope
  • Chromepak G
  • Clark compressor
  • Dresser pump
  • Drilling muds
  • Fire bricks
  • Galion cranes
  • HW mineral fiber coating
  • Lightweight Castable 10
  • Micacrete 7
  • Moore turbine

Halliburton itself never manufactured asbestos products, but Harbison-Walker and Dresser Industries did. Halliburton inherited all legal responsibilities for its subsidiaries when the companies merged, making it liable for all past asbestos exposure risks from materials and the work environment. 

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