Cleaver-Brooks

Highest-Risk Occupations

Cleaver-Brooks began using asbestos in its products from its founding in 1929 and continued using it for over 50 years, until the 1980s.

During that time, the company sold its asbestos-contaminated products to a wide variety of military, industrial, and commercial operations, exposing thousands of unknowing workers to dangerous asbestos.  

Who Is at Highest Risk for Exposure?

Boiler rooms are often hot, poorly ventilated spaces. People whose work brought them into frequent contact with asbestos-containing boiler equipment face high risks for developing serious illnesses like mesothelioma and lung cancer.  

Boiler Technician

Boiler technicians had frequent contact with asbestos-containing components during installation, inspection, repair, and replacement of asbestos components on Cleaver-Brooks products.

Workplace activities like replacing gaskets and insulation can create airborne asbestos dust. Inhaling that dust can cause severe illnesses. 

Pipefitter

Piping connected to Cleaver-Brooks boiler systems often had asbestos insulation, lagging, or gaskets.

Pipefitters were often responsible for cutting, removing, or maintaining these elements of Cleaver-Brooks boiler systems, all of which put them at risk for developing dangerous illnesses like mesothelioma and lung cancer.

U.S. Navy Veterans

The U.S. Navy used Cleaver-Brooks boiler systems aboard naval vessels. Many service members worked in poorly ventilated boiler rooms stocked with a wide variety of asbestos products, often without protective equipment.

Veterans face especially high rates of mesothelioma, accounting for 30% of cases diagnosed each year.

Family Members Exposed to Secondhand Asbestos

The family members of asbestos workers can qualify for compensation in two ways.

They may be eligible to file a claim on their own behalf if they’ve become sick from activities like washing contaminated work clothes at home or through filing a wrongful death lawsuit if they’ve lost a loved one to asbestos exposure.

Cleaver-Brooks Asbestos Products

For over 50 years, Cleaver-Brooks used asbestos components in its popular boiler systems and equipment. It sold its products for use in a wide variety of settings, including road construction and naval vessels, creating a broad exposure footprint.

Boiler systems must withstand high heat and pressure. Like most 20th-century boiler manufacturers, Cleaver-Brooks found asbestos useful for mitigating risks from heat, fire, and chemical corrosion. In addition, asbestos also adds durability and is nonconductive, making it a popular industrial additive despite its dangers.

Cleaver-Brooks continued using asbestos until the 1980s, long after the health and environmental risks of asbestos were known. The company did not warn employees or workers about the potential dangers of its products.

Top Asbestos-Containing Products:

• Boilers
• Cement/refractory material
• Gaskets
• Insulation 
• Lagging
• Rope

Securing Compensation From Cleaver-Brooks

Cleaver-Brooks products relied on asbestos components for decades, endangering thousands of workers.

If you or one of your family members is among those harmed by Cleaver-Brooks’ negligent asbestos use, you may be eligible for legal compensation through a personal injury or wrongful death lawsuit. 

Many individuals who are eligible for compensation from  Cleaver-Brooks are also eligible for compensation from other solvent asbestos companies or trust funds.

Some claimants are eligible for additional forms of compensation, including VA benefits and workers’ compensation.

Veterans with mesothelioma and their loved ones can seek legal compensation from negligent asbestos companies like Cleaver-Brooks without giving up their VA benefits. Lawsuit compensation comes from the companies responsible for veterans’ injuries, not the U.S. government or military.

– Daniel Wasserberg, Attorney

Filing a Lawsuit

Cleaver Brooks has never filed for bankruptcy or established an asbestos trust fund. Although the company completed an asbestos liability transfer in 2021, victims of its negligent asbestos use and their families can still seek justice and compensation through the courts. 

There are two primary types of lawsuits victims can file when pursuing compensation for Cleaver-Brooks asbestos exposure:

• Personal injury lawsuit: This allows living victims of asbestos exposure to seek compensation for their losses.
• Wrongful death lawsuit: This allows the dependents or family members of deceased asbestos exposure victims to recover damages for the loss of their loved one.

Although some claims go to trial, the majority are settled out of court through negotiated financial settlements between the claimant and the defendant.

Settlements offer claimants a relatively quick and secure path to compensation, eliminating the stress of a trial and the possibility of appeal. Once both parties agree to a settlement, it is legally binding.

Key Requirements to File

• Diagnosis: Claimants must have a diagnosis of an asbestos-related illness (such as mesothelioma, lung cancer, or asbestosis) OR proof of a wrongful death from an asbestos-related illness. 
• Proof of exposure: Claimants must have documentation linking the victim’s illness to asbestos exposure from Cleaver-Brooks through employment or use of their products. 
• Statute of limitations: Potential claimants have a limited time to file a claim. Deadlines vary by state, with most averaging just two to three years, so it’s critical to move quickly.

Notable Lawsuits Against Cleaver-Brooks

In 2021, after decades of asbestos litigation, Cleaver-Brooks transferred its legacy asbestos liabilities to Cleaver Brooks Acquisition, LLC, an affiliate of the Global Risk Capital Group of Companies.

The move was part of a larger corporate restructuring effort to protect the company and separate its manufacturing and services operations from its asbestos liabilities.

Despite this maneuvering, victims of Cleaver-Brooks’ negligence can still seek compensation for their losses.

If you or a loved one developed an asbestos-related disease due to exposure from Cleaver-Brooks’ products or activities, we can help you determine your eligibility for compensation through a free case assessment.

Cleaver-Brooks Involvement With Asbestos

Cleaver-Brooks was founded in 1929 by John Cleaver, selling just one unit during its first year. The company expanded rapidly and began fabricating its own units by 1939, becoming an award-winning supplier to the U.S. military during World War II. 

From its founding until the 1980s, Cleaver-Brooks used asbestos insulation, lagging, gaskets, cement, and other asbestos-containing products in its popular boiler systems and equipment. The company supplied its contaminated systems to a wide spectrum of industrial, commercial, and institutional customers.    

Like many asbestos companies, Cleaver-Brooks prioritized benefits such as cheap fireproofing and increased durability over workers’ health and safety. Its negligence harmed thousands of people, many of whom became ill from severe asbestos-related diseases like mesothelioma. 

It has been named in over 200,000 asbestos claims, leading to a corporate restructuring in 2021 that transferred its asbestos liabilities away from the company’s manufacturing branch. Miura Co. Ltd. acquired Cleaver-Brooks in May of 2024. 

Contact Us for a Free Case Assessment

Cleaver-Brooks used asbestos because it was an effective and convenient way to add fireproofing, heat control, and durability to its products. However, its continued reliance on asbestos hurt hundreds of thousands of people who were exposed to its products through their jobs.

If you or a member of your family has developed an asbestos-related illness from exposure to Cleaver-Brooks products, you may be eligible for compensation through a personal injury or wrongful death lawsuit. Legal compensation can help victims and family members pay for treatment, compensate for lost income, cover funeral costs, and more.

Our partner law firm, Meirowitz & Wasserberg, has helped clients and their families secure over $500 million in compensation from negligent asbestos manufacturers, including Cleaver-Brooks, at no up-front cost to eligible claimants. 

We can help you determine your eligibility and learn more about your case for free. Contact us today to get a free case evaluation and start your claim in minutes.

Written & Legally Reviewed By

Daniel Wasserberg, Esq. Attorney and On-Site Legal Advocate

Daniel Wasserberg was a New York metropolitan area “Super Lawyer Rising Star” from 2013 to 2018 (attorneys under age 40), and a Super Lawyer in 2019. In 2017, Daniel was named a “Top 100 Civil Litigator” by the National Trial Lawyers organization. This recognition is rarely awarded to attorneys under the age of 40. Daniel is proud to call himself a Trial Lawyer, and is often asked to speak at gatherings of the nation’s leading attorneys, from both sides of the bar.

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