Manville Trust Distribution Procedures

The Manville Trust Distribution Procedures (TDP) are the formal rules that govern how the Manville Personal Injury Settlement Trust evaluates and pays asbestos injury claims against the former Johns-Manville Corporation. The TDP set out eligible diseases, required medical and exposure proof, scheduled values for each disease category, and the percentage of that value the Trust currently pays. They are periodically amended by the Trust under court supervision as assets and claim volumes change.

Origin

The procedures grew out of the 1988 confirmation of Johns-Manville's Chapter 11 reorganization, the first major asbestos bankruptcy, which created the Manville Trust under Section 524(g) precursor mechanisms. The original TDP were replaced in 1995 after the Trust ran out of money to pay early claimants, and have been revised several times since to keep the Trust solvent for future victims.

Significance in Asbestos Context

For a patient with mesothelioma, lung cancer, asbestosis, or pleural disease who was exposed to Johns-Manville products, the Manville TDP is the rulebook that determines whether and how much the Trust will pay. The procedures specify what medical records, pathology, B-reads, and exposure evidence must be submitted, and they slot each claim into a disease category (Level I through VIII) with a fixed scheduled value. Because the Trust pays only a fraction of scheduled value (the payment percentage has been as low as 5–10% in recent years), recoveries are usually modest compared with tort settlements, but Manville is one of the largest and most commonly filed asbestos trusts, and a claim there is often part of a broader recovery strategy that includes other bankruptcy trusts and solvent-defendant lawsuits.

Example Sentence

Her attorney explained that under the current Manville Trust Distribution Procedures, her husband's mesothelioma claim qualified as a Level IV malignancy with a scheduled value of $350,000, but the Trust would actually pay only the current payment percentage of that amount.

Related Terms

524(g) Trust, Asbestos Bankruptcy Trust, Scheduled Value, Payment Percentage, Trust Distribution Procedures, Johns-Manville Corporation

Notes

• Ask your attorney which disease level (I–VIII) your diagnosis fits under the current Manville TDP and what the present payment percentage is, since both directly determine your recovery.
• Gather and preserve specific exposure proof tying you or your loved one to Johns-Manville products, work history records, union records, co-worker affidavits, and product identification testimony are typically required.
• Make sure pathology reports, imaging, B-reads, and pulmonary function tests are obtained in the format the TDP requires; missing documentation is the most common reason claims are deferred.
• Filing a Manville claim does not bar lawsuits against solvent defendants, but trust payments may be disclosed or offset in tort litigation depending on the jurisdiction. Coordinate the timing with your legal team.
• Confirm whether your claim should be processed under the Individual Review or Expedited Review track; Individual Review can yield higher payments for strong cases but takes longer.