Bendix Friction Materials Trust

The Bendix Friction Materials Asbestos Personal Injury Trust is a court-supervised fund created to pay people harmed by asbestos in Bendix-brand brake linings, clutch facings, and other friction products. It was established as part of the bankruptcy reorganization of Federal-Mogul, which had acquired the Bendix friction products business, and it processes claims under published Trust Distribution Procedures. Patients with qualifying exposure to Bendix friction products and a qualifying asbestos-related disease can file a claim with the trust rather than (or in addition to) suing a solvent defendant.

Origin

The Bendix friction products line traces back to the Bendix Corporation, a major U.S. automotive parts maker. Honeywell later inherited Bendix-related asbestos liabilities through corporate succession, and Federal-Mogul acquired the friction materials business. When Federal-Mogul filed Chapter 11 in 2001 due to overwhelming asbestos litigation, its 2007 reorganization plan created Section 524(g) trusts, including the Bendix Friction Materials Trust, to handle current and future asbestos claims.

Significance in Asbestos Context

For patients whose exposure history includes brake or clutch work (mechanics, brake shop workers, shade-tree auto repair, parts handlers) the Bendix trust is often one of several trusts that may owe compensation. Filing with the trust does not require a lawsuit or trial; instead, your legal team submits proof of exposure (such as employment records, product identification, or sworn statements) and proof of diagnosis. The trust pays a scheduled value based on disease category, then reduced by a payment percentage that reflects the trust's available assets. Recoveries from this trust are typically combined with recoveries from other asbestos trusts and from any active lawsuits against solvent companies; the total recovery picture depends on how many products you were exposed to and which trusts qualify.

Example Sentence

Because he spent fifteen years doing brake jobs at a dealership in the 1970s and 80s, his attorneys filed claims with the Bendix Friction Materials Trust along with several other friction product trusts.

Related Terms

Section 524(g) Trust, Trust Distribution Procedures, Federal-Mogul Asbestos Trust, Friction Products, Product Identification, Payment Percentage

Notes

• If you or a loved one worked on brakes or clutches, preserve any employment records, union records, W-2s, tax returns, or pay stubs that show where and when the work was done. These are the backbone of a friction-products trust claim.
• Ask family members and former coworkers whether they recall specific brands of brake linings or clutch facings used in the shop; product identification testimony often unlocks Bendix and other friction trust claims.
• Save your pathology report, biopsy results, and any imaging reports. The trust requires medical documentation meeting specific diagnostic criteria for mesothelioma, lung cancer, asbestosis, or other qualifying diseases.
• Ask your attorney how the Bendix trust claim will be coordinated with claims against Honeywell (which has separately resolved many Bendix-related tort claims outside the trust) and with other friction product trusts such as Honeywell-related entities, DII Industries, and Pneumo Abex.
• Trust payment percentages can change over time as the trust reassesses its assets and liabilities; ask your legal team what the current percentage is and how it affects your projected recovery.