Honeywell Heating Compensation and Lawsuits

Honeywell Asbestos Compensation Options

People who developed mesothelioma or other asbestos-related diseases from Honeywell products have specific paths for seeking compensation depending on which company made the product that caused their exposure. Honeywell owned both Bendix Friction Materials and North American Refractories Company and inherited their asbestos liabilities.

For asbestos exposure from NARCO’s products, all claims must go through the NARCO Asbestos Trust. While Honeywell sold Bendix to Federal-Mogul in 2003, Honeywell remained legally responsible for Bendix asbestos claims. The Federal-Mogul Asbestos Personal Injury Trust handles claims for Federal-Mogul’s own products, not Bendix products. However, the landscape for pursuing Bendix claims changed significantly in October 2025 when Honeywell divested its remaining asbestos liabilities. 

Delticus Now Handles Bendix Claims

In October 2025, Honeywell transferred all Bendix asbestos liabilities to Delticus, an institutionally backed liability acquisition platform. Delticus isn’t a traditional asbestos trust fund created in bankruptcy proceedings like the NARCO Asbestos Trust or the Federal-Mogul Asbestos Trust. Instead, it operates as a privately funded entity that purchased Honeywell’s asbestos obligations outright. 

Key Facts About the Delticus Transfer

1. Honeywell and Delticus contributed approximately $1.68 billion in cash and insurance assets to fund future claims. 
2. Delticus now handles all current and future Bendix-related asbestos claims.
3.  Honeywell has no further financial exposure to these claims.
4. The specific processes for filing claims, payment structures and long-term financial oversight are still developing. 

Unlike established bankruptcy trusts with decades of transparent claims procedures and court oversight, Delticus is a newly formed entity. Anyone exposed to Bendix brake products or other Bendix asbestos-containing materials should consult with an experienced asbestos attorney to understand how to properly file their claim with Delticus and navigate this recent change in claim administration.

NARCO Claims Go Through the NARCO Asbestos Trust

All NARCO-related claims must be filed with the NARCO Asbestos Trust. NARCO initially filed for bankruptcy in 2002 and emerged in 2013. The asbestos trust fund was created during that process. Because of that trust, people can’t sue Honeywell directly for exposure to NARCO’s heat-resistant refractory products, which were used in furnaces, kilns, incinerators and reactors across various industries.

NARCO Asbestos Trust Details

• Trust start: The NARCO Asbestos Trust began operations in 2013 with $6.32 billion to handle asbestos claims.
• Major funding update: Honeywell transferred more than $1.3 million to the trust when the amended buyout closed on January 30, 2023.
• Trust balance snapshot: The NARCO Asbestos Trust had a net claimants’ equity of more than $1.26 million as of December 31, 2024.
• Mesothelioma values: The overall average for mesothelioma (Level VII) for the trust in 2025 was $127,604, with a maximum of nearly $1.4 million.

In 2023, Honeywell paid $1.325 billion to end its funding obligations to the NARCO Trust, but the trust continues to operate independently and process claims. Actual claim amounts vary based on individual circumstances and the trust’s current payment rules.

Legal Help for People Exposed to Honeywell Heating Asbestos Products

The transfer of Bendix liabilities to Delticus and the complex history of Honeywell’s asbestos obligations make working with an experienced mesothelioma lawyer particularly important for anyone pursuing compensation. A knowledgeable attorney can determine which entity is responsible for your specific exposure, whether your claim should be filed with the NARCO Trust or Delticus and how to navigate the claims process effectively.

For Bendix claims specifically, the October 2025 transfer to Delticus represents a significant change in how claims are administered. Attorneys who regularly handle asbestos cases will have the most current information about filing procedures and can ensure your claim is properly submitted. For NARCO claims, attorneys familiar with the trust’s distribution procedures can ensure all required documentation is submitted correctly to help you secure mesothelioma compensation.

Given the latency period of asbestos-related diseases like mesothelioma, which can range from 20 to 60 years after initial exposure, the long-term stability and oversight of claims administrators becomes crucial. Legal counsel can help protect your rights and ensure proper administration of your claim over time.

A Patient Advocate can connect you with an asbestos attorney who not only has a significant record of success with cases like yours, but will understand and respect your family’s needs. Your Patient Advocate can also help you secure appointments with renowned mesothelioma specialists, manage VA benefits claims, navigate insurance and access support groups and free resources.

Mesothelioma Lawsuits Involving Honeywell Heating

Many Honeywell-related asbestos lawsuits have been filed over the years stemming from industrial exposure from NARCO and brake work from Bendix friction products. Honeywell continues to face lawsuits related to asbestos products that its subsidiaries manufactured.

Notable Honeywell Mesothelioma Lawsuits

• $53.5 million: In 2002, an asbestos verdict was awarded to the wife of Stephen Brown, a former automobile brake mechanic who died of mesothelioma in 2000. Honeywell was responsible for paying 2.35% of the judgment because its Bendix division was found responsible for Brown’s death. It was also responsible for ensuring the plaintiffs received payment from bankrupt defendants named in the suit because it was the only nonbankrupt defendant.
• $18.5 million: One of the largest verdicts against Honeywell came in January 2019, when a Little Rock, Arkansas, jury awarded more than $18.5 million to the estate of Ronald Burlie Thomas. He was a former brake shop worker who developed mesothelioma in March 2017 and died 9 months later at age 72. Thomas worked with Bendix brake linings from 1971 until 1983. Honeywell negotiated a settlement with the plaintiff right before the verdict was issued that reportedly covered a range of verdicts.
• $10.9 million: A California jury in 2014 awarded this amount to the family of James Phillips, who developed mesothelioma after using Bendix asbestos brakes.
• $5.8 million: In January 2017, a California appeals court upheld this verdict against Honeywell. The verdict was awarded to the surviving family of James Lester Phillips, who died of mesothelioma from exposure to Bendix asbestos brakes.

The October 2025 transfer to Delticus changes how Bendix claims are pursued. The specific legal procedures for filing claims against Delticus are still developing. Anyone with Bendix exposure should consult an attorney immediately to understand the current process. Anyone interested in pursuing compensation should consult an attorney to understand how to properly pursue their claim.

Honeywell’s Subsidiaries and Asbestos Liabilities

On Oct. 1, 2019, Honeywell spun off a subsidiary known as Garrett Motion Inc. and shouldered the company with its estimated $1 billion in asbestos liability. In December 2019, Garrett Motion filed a lawsuit against Honeywell claiming its executives illegally forced Honeywell’s asbestos liabilities onto it.

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission opened an investigation into Honeywell’s accounting for asbestos liabilities on Oct. 18, 2018. The company estimated liabilities at $2.61 billion as of the end of 2017, but a regulatory filing showed that it was $1.09 billion higher than the previous estimate.

Honeywell Heating’s Connection to Asbestos

Engineer Mark Honeywell founded the Honeywell Heating Specialty Co. Inc. in Minneapolis in 1906, specializing in hot water heat generators. The company merged with the Minneapolis Heat Regulator Company in 1927 and was renamed the Minneapolis-Honeywell Regulator Company, focusing on thermostatic heat controls.

Honeywell’s asbestos liability stems from companies it acquired over the decades. In 1979, Honeywell purchased NARCO, which manufactured heat-resistant refractory materials containing asbestos fibers for use in furnaces, kilns and high-temperature industrial equipment. 

Later, through its 1999 merger with Allied Signal Inc., Honeywell acquired additional asbestos liabilities, including those related to Bendix brake products. After the merger, the combined company became Honeywell International. The purchase of subsidiaries that manufactured asbestos products meant Honeywell inherited substantial legal liability for asbestos exposure from products these companies made decades earlier.

Honeywell’s Asbestos Products

Honeywell’s subsidiaries manufactured numerous asbestos-containing products that served multiple industries. Many of these products went to the U.S. armed forces, particularly the Navy.

Honeywell Products That Contained Asbestos

• Allied Signal Friction King disc brake pads
• Bendix aircraft brake linings
• Bendix brake linings
• Bendix brake blocks
• Bendix disc brake pads
• Bulls-Eye brake linings
• Eclipse brake linings
• EDF brake linings
• FK brake linings
• Friction King brake linings
• Marshal brake linings
• Master brake linings
• NARCO refractory bricks and mortar
• SI brake linings
• WM brake linings

Workers in automotive repair, aircraft maintenance, industrial facilities and military service encountered dangerous asbestos fibers during routine use and maintenance of these products. The dust and fibers released during installation, repair and removal of these materials put countless workers at risk for developing asbestos-related diseases decades later.

Who Was at Risk of Asbestos Exposure From Honeywell Heating?

Prolonged workplace asbestos exposure increases the risks of mesothelioma and lung cancer. While there is no safe level of exposure, there is what’s known as a dose-response relationship, which means the heavier and longer the exposure, the higher the risk. Those who worked in close proximity to the dust from brake friction, such as mechanics and brake installers, are at particularly high risk.

Higher Risk Jobs

• Aircraft mechanics
• Auto assembly line workers
• Auto mechanics
• Autobody workers
• Bendix and Allied Signal manufacturing plant workers
• Heavy machinery operators
• NARCO manufacturing plant workers
• Veterans of the U.S. armed forces

According to a 2022 European Commission report, more than 70,000 workers died in 2019 from past exposure to asbestos. Those in the HVAC industry who repaired residential and commercial furnaces that contained NARCO bricks and cement for high-temperature applications may also have risked asbestos exposure.

Recommended Reading