Asbestos firms Bondex and Garlock file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection

Posted by Andrew McEnaney on June 29, 2010

Two companies facing thousands of asbestos lawsuits, Garlock Sealing Technologies and Bondex International, have filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, according to recent articles in the Wall Street Journal and Reuters. More than 100,000 lawsuits have been filed against the two companies by plaintiffs who allege that they developed mesothelioma or other illnesses after using the companies’ asbestos products.

Garlock, which is owned by parent company EnPro Industries, has manufactured gaskets, hydraulic components, metal seals and other sealing products for more than 100 years. According to its bankruptcy filing, Garlock states that it is spending $100 million per year to settle and defend asbestos lawsuits filed against the company.

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Calif. court rules that U.S. Navy can be apportioned 'fault' in mesothelioma lawsuits

Posted by Andrew McEnaney on June 16, 2010

On June 3, the California 1st District Court of Appeals ruled that the United States Navy could be allocated a share of “fault” when apportioning fault between defendants in a mesothelioma lawsuit.

The case, Collins v. Plant Insulation Co. [PDF], was filed by family members of former Navy shipyard asbestos worker Ulysses Collins, who died in May 2005 from mesothelioma caused by asbestos exposure.

Over a period of nearly 35 years, Collins was employed at several jobs that required him to work extensively with asbestos. These included four years as a boilermaker welder at a Standard Oil refinery and more than 30 years at the Hunters Point Naval Shipyard and Mare Island Naval Shipyard, where he also worked as a welder.

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