G-I Holdings (GAF Corp.) Asbestos Trust

By 2000, the General Aniline and Film (GAF) Corporation, a predecessor to G-I Holdings, faced more than 70,000 asbestos-related personal injury lawsuits.

As a result, G-I Holdings filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on January 5, 2001, allowing the company to escape its significant legal liabilities.

By December 2005, documents filed in the bankruptcy case indicated that asbestos claims against GAF and G-I Holdings had surpassed 500,000, primarily due to their operations as major producers of building materials.

Like most asbestos trust funds, the G-I Holdings Asbestos Trust pays only a percentage of the settlement value of each claim to ensure that enough funds remain to meet the needs of all future claimants.

*The current payment percentage is 7.4%.

See if you qualify for compensation from The G-I Holdings Inc. Asbestos Personal Injury Settlement Trust.

G-I Holdings & Asbestos Exposure

In 1929, the American holdings of I.G. Farben, a German-based chemical conglomeration, were incorporated under the laws of Delaware, with the name American I.G. Chemical Corporation (American I.G.).

After a series of complicated mergers and acquisitions, American I.G. became the General Aniline and Film (GAF) Corporation.

During World War II in the 1940s, the U.S. government seized control of GAF due to its strong ties with the Nazi regime in Germany. After U.S. government oversight ended, GAF purchased the Ruberoid Corporation, a roofing company that later became a GAF subsidiary, in 1967. 

Through the 1980s housing boom, GAF grew and became known as G-I Holdings. G-I Holdings’ roofing products division eventually split into a subsidiary called Building Materials, Corp.

Despite early financial success, GAF inherited significant asbestos liabilities from Ruberoid, including an asbestos mine. Although the mine closed in the 1970s, GAF was held responsible for thousands of injuries stemming from asbestos exposure.

By 2001, when parent company G-I Holdings filed for bankruptcy, GAF had settled around 500,000 asbestos claims, totaling approximately $1.5 billion.

Fill out the form below to see if you may be eligible for compensation from The G-I Holdings Inc. Asbestos Personal Injury Settlement Trust.

Asbestos Lawsuits Against G-I Holdings

G-I and its subsidiaries have a long history of settling asbestos-related disputes out of court. In 1985, GAF was one of 50 asbestos and insurance companies that founded the Asbestos Claims Facility, a nonprofit claims center created to minimize litigation costs and settle asbestos-related claims.

Even though the Asbestos Claims Facility eventually folded due to internal strife, GAF focused on resolving asbestos claims through the Center for Claims Resolution, which also sought to settle asbestos claims.

Occasionally, legal claims against GAF reached the court system, as was the case for 8,500 Maryland workers who filed suit against GAF after being exposed to their products through their work in Bethlehem Steel Corporation’s Sparrows Point steel mill.

*GAF chose to settle with the victims out of court for an undisclosed sum in 1993.

Associated Companies 

GAF has a complex history involving numerous ownership changes and subsidiaries. Seized from German control by the U.S. Government during WWII, GAF grew rapidly during the post-war housing boom into a major residential and commercial building materials market manufacturer.

The 1967 purchase of the Ruberoid Corporation, a roofing company that owned the nation’s largest chrysotile asbestos mine, led to the creation of several new subsidiary companies.

As the number of subsidiaries grew, the company was renamed G-I Holdings, Inc.

Companies Associated With G-I Holdings:

• Agfa-Ansco Corporation
• American I.G. Chemical Corporation
• Building Materials Corporation of America
• Cobra Ventilation Products
• Frederick Bayer & Co.
• GAF Broadcasting Co.
• GAF Building Materials Corporation 
• General Aniline and Film Corporation
• General Aniline Works, Inc.
• G Industries Corporation 
• Grasselli Chemical Company
• I.G. Chemie
• I.G. Dyes
• I.G. Farben
• International Permalite
• International Specialty Products, Inc.
• Leatherback Industries
• Ozalid Corporation
• Ruberoid Corporation
• Standard Paint Company
• U.S. Intec

High-Risk Occupations

Those who worked for GAF and its subsidiaries from the 1930s to the 1980s are at risk of developing asbestos-related diseases due to the large concentrations of asbestos used in the companies’ products.

Additionally, anyone who worked in construction, demolition, or any home improvement or repair-related field is also at risk due to a high likelihood of exposure to GAF asbestos-contaminated products.

Jobs at Highest Risk for Asbestos Exposure

Other At-Risk Jobs

• Carpenters
• HVAC repair workers
• Insulators
• Roofers
• Siding contractors

Asbestos Products Associated With the GAF Corporation

The G-I Holdings product line has asbestos-containing products that date back to the 1920s. At this point, products were manufactured primarily under the GAF Corporation brand.

As the company grew, so did the number of brand names used in manufacturing asbestos products. 

Top Asbestos-Containing Products Made by GAF Companies Include:

• 115 Cement 
• 214 Cement
• 313 Mineral Wool Insulation Cement
• 412 Single Coat Insulation Cement
• Anti-Sweat Pipe Covering
• Asbestos Cement Roofing Shingles
• Asbestos Cement Siding
• Asbestos Millboard/Foundriboard
• Asbestos Rollboard
• Asphalt Tile
• Calsilite-Hi
• Calsilite Insulation Cement
• Calsilite Pipe Covering and Block
• Calsilite SS
• Chrysotile Asbestos Fibers
• Corrugated Asbestos Paper
• Flat Asbestos Paper
• Frost-Proof Pipe Covering
• Ruberoid Air Cell
• Roofing Felts
• Roofing Paint Products
• Sheet Vinyl Flooring: LURAN IMPERIAL
• Sheet Vinyl Flooring: LURAN REGENCY
• Sheet Vinyl Flooring: LURAN AIRTRED
• Supercell
• Supercell Pipe Covering
• T/NA 100
• T/NA 200
• Watcocel/Watcocell
• Wool Felt Pipe Covering
• Vinyl Asbestos Floor Tile (VAT)

The Formation of the G-I Holdings, Inc. Asbestos Personal Injury Settlement Trust

The G-I Holdings, Inc. Asbestos Personal Injury Trust was formed on November 9, 2009, to process, liquidate, and pay all valid asbestos injury claims made against G-I Holdings and its subsidiaries. The trust began accepting claims on October 4, 2010.

The G-I Holdings Asbestos Trust is governed by a board of trustees responsible for setting the maximum annual payment (MAP) or the yearly amount the trust will pay out, reviewing and setting the payment percentage, and reviewing all claims. 

The G-I Holdings Trust recognizes eight disease levels. It reserves 85% of the MAP for handling claims related to severe malignancies like mesothelioma, lung cancer, and severe asbestosis.

The remaining 15% is reserved for claims stemming from non-malignant illnesses. All claims are handled on a first-in, first-out (FIFO) basis.

Understanding the Different Review Processes

The G-I Holdings Asbestos Trust offers claimants two different review processes they can choose from when submitting their claim: expedited and individual. Each process has distinct benefits and potential drawbacks.

Both the expedited and individual reviews only pay a percentage of the funds requested, but the process under which the funding is distributed differs. An experienced asbestos lawyer can help you choose the best option for you if you’re eligible to file.

Expedited Review

According to the trust website, the GAF Holdings Trust considers the expedited review (ER) process an “expeditious, efficient, and inexpensive method” for liquidating claims. 

To file an ER claim, claimants must meet all medical and exposure criteria set by the trust. Successful ER claimants receive a set payment amount, called the scheduled value, with payments often starting in as little as 90 days.

ER claims are suitable for claimants who need to recover funds quickly to meet pressing medical and living expenses. However, not all claims are eligible for expedited review. Lung Cancer 2 (Level VI) claims must be reviewed individually.

Individual Review

Claimants may elect to undergo an individual review (IR), which is intended to provide the claimant with payments equal to the total liquidation value for each claim.

However, an individual review may also determine the claimant is owed less than the scheduled value the claimant would have received under an ER claim.

Individual reviews consider the claimant’s age, level of disability, employment status, pain and suffering, number of dependents, disruption in the household, and other factors.

IR claims take longer to process. Claimants looking to receive the maximum possible compensation or with exceptional circumstances they want to be considered may prefer individual review. 

All Lung Cancer 2 (Level VI) claims, Foreign Claims, and Secondary Exposure Claims must undergo individual review.

Settlement and Payment Percentage Amounts

Like most asbestos trust funds, the G-I Holdings Asbestos Trust applies a payment percentage to all settlement amounts before the claim is paid. The payment percentage ensures the trust retains enough funds to pay all current and future claimants. 

The current payment percentage as of October 2024 is 7.4%. Once the payment percentage is applied, a claim with a settlement value of $100,000 will be paid out at $7,400. 

The table below shows the current settlement values for expedited and individual claims before applying the payment percentage.

Compensation Amounts for Expedited Review

Disease	Compensation
Mesothelioma	$155,000
Lung Cancer	$45,000
Other Cancer	$15,000
Severe Asbestosis	$30,000
Asbestosis	Up to $8,000

Compensation Amounts for Individual Review

Disease	Compensation
Mesothelioma	$225,000
Lung Cancer	$55,000
Other Cancer	$18,000
Severe Asbestosis	$35,000
Asbestosis	Up to $8,000

Eligibility Requirements for the G-I Holdings Asbestos Trust

To claim funds from the G-I Holdings Asbestos Trust, claimants must first prove they are eligible. There are two primary categories of eligibility that claimants must meet through thorough documentation: medical and exposure.

All claims must also be filed within the statute of limitations.

Medical Requirements

The precise medical requirements needed to prove eligibility vary depending on which of the eight scheduled disease levels a claimant has been diagnosed with.

However, some standard requirements appear across several disease levels, including:

• Diagnosis of an asbestos-related condition by a doctor or pathologist
• Proof of the condition in the form of tests and imaging, like:
  • CAT scan
  • MRI
  • Pathology report
  • PET scan
  • Pulmonary testing
  • X-ray
• Supporting medical evidence linking asbestos exposure to the diagnosed illness
• 10-year latency

Exposure Requirements

The exposure requirements can also vary by disease level, but they all center around proving that a claimant can tie their asbestos injury to specific G-I Holdings products and worksites.

Common requirements include:

• 6 months of G-I exposure before December 31, 1982 
• 5 years of cumulative occupational asbestos exposure
• Significant Occupational Exposure (as defined by the G-I Holdings Asbestos Personal Injury Trust Distribution Procedures)

Claimants must prove these requirements through documentation.

Documents commonly used to prove exposure include:

• Affidavits/witness statements
• Construction records
• Employment records
• Insurance records
• Invoices
• Military service records
• Paystubs
• Sales records

Filing a Personal Injury Claim Against G-I Holdings

Filing a successful claim against an asbestos trust fund requires significant documentation. It can be a stressful and time-consuming process if claimants go in unprepared.

Steps for filing a claim against the G-I Holdings Asbestos PI Trust:

1. Choose between expedited and individual review.
2. File a completed claim form, including all required documentation.
   1. If any deficiencies are discovered during the review process, mitigate them by providing additional documentation.
3. Review your settlement offer. If you accept, sign and submit the G-I trust release form.

Asbestos lawyers are experts with specialized experience and resources that are not available to the general public.

Working with an expert significantly increases the likelihood of a successful claim and helps eligible victims maximize their potential compensation.

Loved Ones & Family Members 

In many cases, asbestos exposure victims are not able to file a claim themselves. They may be too ill, too busy receiving treatment, or have already passed away before a claim can be filed.

When this happens, it falls to the victim’s family and loved ones to pursue the claim. Frequently, these family members are dealing with tremendous financial and emotional burdens related to their loved one’s asbestos injury.

A skilled asbestos lawyer can help relieve these burdens, taking on the challenges of gathering documentation, filing, and negotiating.

Working with a trusted attorney reduces stress and maximizes the potential for compensation, allowing victims and their loved ones to focus on the health and well-being of the family.

If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with an asbestos-related illness and are interested in learning more about your compensation options, don’t wait.

Reach out today to schedule a free consultation with one of our accomplished asbestos lawyers.