Dresser Industries was a pipeline equipment maker that produced rubber joints and packers used in oilfields and natural gas pipelines that contained asbestos. Dresser Industries was later acquired by the Halliburton Company, and it inherited at least 300,000 asbestos claims. (Mesotheliomafund.com)
Equipment that was originally made by Dresser and later owned by Halliburton that contained asbestos include:
- Compressors
- Pumps
- Insulation
- Turbines
Some of the brand names of these asbestos-containing products were: (Mesothelioma.com)
- Dresser Pumps
- Worthington Horizontal Single Air and Steam Heating Vacuum
- Worthington Monoblock Centrifugal Pump and DE Monobloc Pump
- Worthington Split Case Centrifugal Horizontal Single Stage Volute Pump
- Ingersoll-Dresser Pumps
- Pacific Steam Turbopumps
- Clark Compressors
- Root Compressors
- LeRoi Compressors
- Moore Turbines
- Worthington Turbines
- Dress-Rand Steam Turbines
If you worked with or produced any of the above products and have an asbestos-related condition, you could be eligible for compensation through the DII Industries, LLC Asbestos PI Trust. Your mesothelioma attorney can review your work history and determine which companies may have exposed you to asbestos.
Employees at Risk of Asbestos Exposure
At both Dresser Industries and Halliburton, employees from blue-collar oil field workers to white-collar engineers and administrators were at risk of being exposed to asbestos. Some of the occupations that were at the highest risk of exposure were:
- Boilermakers
- Drilling crew, such as mud engineers
- Electricians
- Engineers
- Ironworkers
- Pipeline construction workers
- Transport drivers
Overview of the DII Industries, LLC Asbestos PI Trust
The DII Industries, LLC Asbestos PI Trust was formed in 2005 as a result of the Chapter 11 bankruptcy of several companies, including Dresser Industries, Halliburton Company, Harbison-Walker Refractories Company, and Kellogg Brown & Root. (DIIasbestostrust.org)
The asbestos-related problems started with Harbison-Walker Refractories, which was established in the late 19th century. That company made fireproof bricks that contained asbestos. In the late 1960s, Harbison-Walker merged with Dresser Industries.
In the late 1990s, Dresser and Halliburton merged. The subsidiary was known as DII Industries.
Asbestos Trust Funded With $4 Billion
The asbestos trust was originally funded with $4 billion in cash and stock. At the time, it was the biggest mesothelioma settlement fund in history. Halliburton claimed losses from asbestos lawsuits were $900 million per year from 2002 through 2004. (WSJ.com)
DI Trust claims are paid at a relatively high percentage of 35.6%. This means that the trust pays $35.6 for every $100 of a personal injury claim. The compensation is limited to that amount to ensure that there is enough money in the trust to pay future claims.
For Halliburton and non-Harbison-Walker claims, the maximum compensation is $256,000. The average claim is $76,400. For Harbison-Walker personal injury claims, the maximum amount is $610,000. The average claim is $182,000.
Qualifying for the Asbestos Trust Fund
To be considered for compensation for a mesothelioma claim, you must have a diagnosis of mesothelioma based on:
- A physical exam by the doctor providing the diagnosis, or
- A diagnosis of mesothelioma by a board-certified pathologist
- There also must be a 10-year latency period
Also, your exposure to asbestos must have occurred before Dec. 31, 1982.
Asbestos Lawsuits Against Harbison-Walker and Halliburton Company
Harbison-Walker, which was later acquired by Dresser Industries, was sued by hundreds of former workers who were exposed to asbestos and got mesothelioma.
One of the biggest lawsuits the company faced was right before it entered bankruptcy. Five asbestos exposure victims filed a lawsuit against Harbison-Walker and other companies. The companies were found liable for the mesothelioma the workers developed. Together, the companies were ordered to pay $40 million.
Halliburton’s asbestos litigation problems started in the 1970s but got worse in the 2000s. The first asbestos personal injury lawsuit was filed against Halliburton in 1975 and was the start of decades of asbestos-related costs.
From 1976 to the early 2000s, Halliburton was named in 475,000 asbestos claims. The company paid an estimated $900 million in asbestos settlements from 2002 to 2004.
In addition to the exorbitant costs of asbestos lawsuits, Halliburton also had a major drop in stock price because of asbestos claims. In 2001, the company’s stock dropped 40% in a single day.
The loss in revenue, coupled with millions of dollars paid to compensate victims, proved to be too much. The company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2003. Hallburton’s asbestos costs were above $3 billion between 2002 and 2005.
Summary
Harbison-Walker, Dresser Industries, and the Halliburton Company produced many products and types of machinery that contained asbestos. These products and machines endangered thousands of lives over the years.
If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with mesothelioma after working for Harbison Walker, Dresser Industries, or the Halliburton Company, it is smart to talk to a skilled mesothelioma attorney today.
Our attorney’s can review your case to see if you may qualify for mesothelioma compensation in a personal injury lawsuit. If so, you can file a claim with the DII Industries, LLC Asbestos PI Trust to receive compensation for your injuries, such as medical bills, pain and suffering, loss of consortium, and lost wages.