Garlock Sealing Technologies Trust

The Garlock Sealing Technologies Trust is a bankruptcy-created trust established to pay asbestos personal injury claims against Garlock Sealing Technologies LLC, a former manufacturer of asbestos-containing gaskets and sealing products. It was created under a Chapter 11 reorganization plan confirmed in 2017 and funded with approximately $480 million to compensate current and future claimants who developed mesothelioma or other asbestos diseases from exposure to Garlock products.

Origin

Garlock filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2010 in the Western District of North Carolina under mounting asbestos liability. The trust was created under Section 524(g) of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code as part of the company's confirmed reorganization plan, which became effective in 2017 after years of contentious litigation including the notable Judge George Hodges 2014 ruling that found evidence of claimant misrepresentation in prior tort cases.

Significance in Asbestos Context

If you worked with or around gaskets, packing, or sealing products (common in refineries, power plants, paper mills, shipyards, chemical plants, and Navy vessels), Garlock may be one of the trusts your legal team files a claim against. Unlike a typical lawsuit, trust claims are paid according to a published payment schedule and matrix, often at a fraction of the scheduled value (a 'payment percentage'). The Garlock trust is also historically important because the 2014 Hodges decision changed how some defendants and trusts scrutinize claimants' exposure histories, making it more important than ever that your exposure to each product is documented consistently across all claims and lawsuits.

Example Sentence

Her attorney explained that because her late husband had worked as a pipefitter replacing gaskets at the refinery for over twenty years, a claim would be filed with the Garlock Sealing Technologies Trust along with several other asbestos trusts.

Related Terms

Section 524(g) Trust, Asbestos Bankruptcy Trust, Trust Distribution Procedures, Payment Percentage, Gasket Exposure, Manville Trust

Notes

• Gather and preserve any documentation of work with Garlock products, including old purchase records, work orders, union records, co-worker statements, and product identification testimony.
• Ask your attorney how Garlock trust recoveries interact with any pending lawsuits. Exposure statements made in trust claims can be discoverable and must be consistent with deposition testimony.
• Confirm the current payment percentage with your legal team, as trusts periodically adjust the percentage of the scheduled value they actually pay out.
• If your exposure was occupational (mechanic, pipefitter, boilermaker, Navy machinist's mate, refinery or powerhouse worker), specifically mention gasket and packing work when giving your exposure history to your lawyer and doctors.