For decades, Leslie Controls designed and manufactured steam control valves, pumps, gaskets and pipe parts that were used in high-heat areas, including Naval vessels and gas and oil refineries. Many Leslie Controls products contained asbestos – a carcinogen connected to lung, heart and abdominal cancers.

Despite the known dangers of asbestos, Leslie Controls, like other companies of the time, used asbestos to the detriment of employees and their families. The company, which is currently owned by CIRCOR International, filed for bankruptcy in 2010 to offset thousands of asbestos personal injury claims.

Asbestos Products and Industries

Leslie Controls opened in 1905 as the Leslie Company and produced quality valves, pumps and gaskets for steam engines. By World War II, the company was one of the leading suppliers of gaskets for Naval vessels. The company phased out asbestos use in its products by the 1980s, but many Leslie Controls products remain in place today.  Other Leslie Controls products that may have contained asbestos included:

  • Pipe Insulation
  • Steam water heaters
  • Regulators
  • Packing materials
Although the company denies any injuries associated with its use of asbestos, the trust continues to pay settlements. The trust has not established any approved job sites or occupations that may be connected with Leslie Controls asbestos. However, the following occupations are associated with Leslie Controls products:
  • Plumber
  • Machinist
  • Power plant worker
  • Shipyard worker
  • Insulator
  • Boilermaker
  • Refinery worker

Since Leslie Controls products were widely used in Naval vessels, sailors are also at risk for asbestos-related diseases.

A 2018 study in the International Journal of Radiation Biology found higher rates of mesothelioma among Navy veterans who worked in boiler, engine and pump rooms due to poor ventilation and close quarters. The study said occupations that included machinist’s mate, pipefitter, boiler technician, water tender and fireman had a higher potential for asbestos exposure. While only 20 percent of Navy enlistees worked in the occupations, they accounted for 55% of mesothelioma deaths within the study population, journal researchers found.

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Leslie Controls Financial Compensation

The Leslie Controls trust requires claimants to submit claims within three years of a diagnosis of an asbestos disease.

Akin to other asbestos-related bankruptcy trusts, Leslie Controls has established strict parameters for claimants to follow when seeking financial compensation. Claimants can file for either an expedited review or individual review, depending on personal circumstances.

Leslie Controls has further designated two types of claims:

Leslie Powerhouse or Below-Deck Naval Station Claims

  • Leslie Control Powerhouse or Below-Deck Naval Station Claims are only valid if the asbestos exposure happened during the installation, removal or maintenance of Leslie Controls valves (or near someone installing, removing or maintaining Leslie Controls valves). The claimant must have been employed in a Leslie Controls powerhouse, U.S. Navy shipyard or below-deck naval station.
    $0Claimants who seek a larger settlement than what the expedited review offers or whose expedited review was denied can opt for an individual analysis.

Leslie Construction and Maintenance Claims

  • Leslie Construction and Maintenance Claims are valid when the asbestos exposure happened as a result of the installation, maintenance or removal of Leslie Controls valves and/or other Leslie Controls equipment.

Leslie Controls expedited and individual claims provide distinct settlement arrangements and amounts:

Leslie Controls Trust Expedited Review Facts:

    • Designed as an “expeditious, efficient and inexpensive method” for settling asbestos claims
    • Can only be used when the claim is easily verifiable
    • Intended to provide a fixed and certain settlement
    • Handled in a first-in, first-out (FIFO) process

Leslie Controls Trust Expedited Review Claims Amounts:

Disease Compensation
Mesothelioma (Level VII) •Powerhouse and Below-Deck Naval Station Claims Scheduled value: $100,000

•Construction and Maintenance Claims Scheduled value: $25,000
Lung Cancer I (Level VI) •Powerhouse and Below-Deck Naval Station Claims Scheduled value: $25,000

•Construction and Maintenance Claims Scheduled value: $7,500
Lung Cancer 2 (Level V) •Powerhouse and Below-Deck Naval Station Claims Scheduled value: None (see individual review)

•Construction and Maintenance Claims Scheduled value: None (see individual review
Other Cancer (Level IV) •Powerhouse and Below-Deck Naval Station Claims Scheduled value: $15,000

•Construction and Maintenance Claims Scheduled value: $5,000
Severe Asbestosis (Level III) •Powerhouse and Below-Deck Naval Station Claims Scheduled value: $17,500

•Construction and Maintenance Claims Scheduled value: $6,000
Asbestosis/Pleural Disease (Level II) •Powerhouse and Below-Deck Naval Station Claims Scheduled value: $4,500

•Construction and Maintenance Claims Scheduled value: $1,250
Asbestosis/Pleural Disease (Level I) •Powerhouse and Below-Deck Naval Station Claims Scheduled value: $1,500

•Construction and Maintenance Claims Scheduled value: $500

Leslie Controls Trust Individual Review Facts:

    • Anyone with a claim level III, IV, VI or VII (severe asbestosis, other cancer, lung cancer 1 and mesothelioma) may elect for an individual review
    • All claims originating from out of the United States (called foreign claims) are handled as an individual review
    • Individuals suffering severe financial hardship as a result of Leslie Controls asbestos exposure may file an individual review

Leslie Controls Trust Individual Review Claim Amounts:

Powerhouse and Below-Deck Naval Station Individual Review Claims

Disease Compensation
Mesothelioma (Level VII) Average value: $140,000
Maximum value: $350,000
Lung Cancer I (Level VI) Average value: $35,000
Maximum value: $125,000
Lung Cancer 2 (Level V) Average value: $18,0000
Maximum value: $22,000
Other Cancer (Level IV) Average value: $17,500
Maximum value: $25,500
Severe Asbestosis (Level III) Average value: $20,000
Maximum value: $30,000
Asbestosis/Pleural Disease (Level II) Average value: $4,500
Maximum value: $4,500
Asbestosis/Pleural Disease (Level I) Average value: $1,500
Maximum value: $1,500

Leslie Construction and Maintenance Individual Review Claims

Disease Compensation
Mesothelioma (Level VII) Average value: $30,000
Maximum value: $125,000
Lung Cancer I (Level VI) Average value: $10,000
Maximum value: $37,500
Lung Cancer 2 (Level V) Average value: $5,000
Maximum value: $10,000
Other Cancer (Level IV) Average value: $7,500
Maximum value: $15,000
Severe Asbestosis (Level III) Average value: $8,000
Maximum value: $17,500
Asbestosis/Pleural Disease (Level II) Average value: $1,250
Maximum value: $1,250
Asbestosis/Pleural Disease (Level I) Average value: $500
Maximum value: $500

Leslie Controls Asbestos Lawsuits

In 2009, CIRCOR said Leslie Controls was named in 5,804 unresolved asbestos claims in Mississippi, California, Texas, New York, Massachusetts, West Virginia, Rhode Island, Illinois and 23 other states. Of those, 597 claims involved mesothelioma victims.

Before the Leslie Controls bankruptcy trust was finalized, the company was taken to court dozens of times. In one case – Merrill v. Leslie Controls, Inc. – the company was found liable for a Navy veteran’s asbestos exposure. The veteran was awarded $1.218 million, but the award was overturned on appeal.

Help Filing A Leslie Controls Asbestos Trust Claim

Injured victims who think they were exposed to Leslie Controls asbestos must file a claim within three years of a diagnosis. Claimants who use the services of an experienced asbestos-litigation attorney can gain access to funds vital for ongoing medical treatments, household expenses and other expenditures.

Attorneys with experience in asbestos trust claims help by uncovering possible exposure sites, at-fault products and witnesses to exposure. Contact us today for a free consultation with an attorney.

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