Asbestos Trust Funds for Alabama Workers

Alabama has two industrial sites that anchor most of the state’s asbestos exposure record: the ADDSCO shipyard in Mobile and the U.S. Steel Fairfield Works outside Birmingham. Workers at these sites, and at the construction trades that supplied them, were exposed to insulation, gaskets, pipe covering, and refractory products from manufacturers that later filed for bankruptcy and established national trust funds.

Those trusts still hold more than $30 billion in combined assets. They accept claims from any state, including Alabama, and they pay qualifying claimants on a rolling basis. For Alabama workers and their families, the trusts operate independently of any state court lawsuit, VA benefit, or workers’ compensation claim.

Alabama Industrial History

The two best-documented Alabama exposure sites both have primary-source historical records, including Library of Congress HABS/HAER documentation for Fairfield Works and University of South Alabama archival records for ADDSCO.

ADDSCO, Mobile

Alabama Dry Dock and Shipbuilding Company operated on the Mobile River from 1916 through 1988. During World War II, ADDSCO became one of the largest emergency shipbuilders on the Gulf Coast. Peak workforce reached 30,000 to 40,000 in 1943. Between 1943 and 1945 the yard delivered 20 Liberty ships and 102 T2 tankers.

Insulators, pipefitters, welders, electricians, and laggers worked in close proximity to asbestos pipe covering, block insulation, gaskets, and packing. Suppliers included national manufacturers such as Johns-Manville, Owens-Illinois, Owens Corning, Babcock & Wilcox, and Combustion Engineering.

Postwar work shifted to ship repair and conversion, and ADDSCO continued operating until 1988. Workers across the entire 1940s through 1980s span are within the documented exposure period for asbestos products at the yard.

U.S. Steel Fairfield Works, near Birmingham

Construction on the Fairfield Works began in 1909, with the first blast in 1917. The integrated mill ran blast furnaces, coke ovens, and rolling mills through November 2015, when the site was idled. An electric arc furnace operation restarted in December 2020. Peak employment exceeded 15,000 workers in the 1960s.

Library of Congress HABS/HAER documentation captures the scale of the facility. Steelworkers, pipefitters, insulators, refractory bricklayers, and maintenance crews at integrated mills of that era worked routinely with asbestos-containing pipe insulation, gaskets, fireproofing, and high-temperature equipment.

Alabama Supreme Court Precedent

Three Alabama Supreme Court decisions from the early 1990s shape how asbestos cases are tried in the state. All three involve Owens-Corning Fiberglas as the appellant.

• Sheffield v. Owens-Corning Fiberglas Corp., 595 So.2d 443 (Ala. 1992) addressed the sufficiency of exposure evidence and product identification in asbestos cases. The case is cited in subsequent Alabama and federal asbestos opinions on causation.
• Owens-Corning Fiberglas Corp. v. James, 646 So.2d 669 (Ala. 1994) upheld the consolidation of similar asbestos personal injury cases.
• Owens-Corning Fiberglas Corp. v. Gant, 662 So.2d 255 (Ala. 1995) affirmed jury verdicts for asbestos-exposed construction workers in four consolidated cases. The Alabama Supreme Court held that the evidence supported product exposure and causation, and that consolidation with curative jury instructions was proper.

These decisions establish the framework Alabama trial courts apply to asbestos cases on consolidation, exposure proof, and product identification.

Alabama Statute of Limitations

Alabama personal injury claims for asbestos disease are governed by Ala. Code § 6-2-30(a) and § 6-2-38(l), which set a two-year limitations period. A 1980 amendment to § 6-2-30 added a discovery rule for latent disease: the period accrues on the first date the injured party, through reasonable diligence, should have reason to discover the injury.

Wrongful death actions are governed by Ala. Code § 6-5-410 and must be brought within two years of the date of death.

The Alabama Supreme Court’s decision in Jerkins v. Lincoln Electric Co., 2011 Ala. LEXIS 102, confirms how the discovery rule operates for cases arising under the post-1980 framework.

National Trusts Available to Alabama Workers

When asbestos manufacturers filed for bankruptcy, courts required them to establish 524(g) trusts funded by company assets. These trusts pay claimants from any state, including Alabama, when the worker can document exposure to a trust defendant’s products.

Each trust has its own:

• Payment percentage, the share of the scheduled value the trust currently pays to preserve funds for future claimants
• Disease categories, with mesothelioma typically qualifying for the highest payment tier
• Exposure criteria, documentation of when and where the claimant was exposed
• Filing procedures, including forms, medical records, and supporting documentation

Workers at Alabama shipyards and steel mills were typically exposed to products from many manufacturers across a long career. A single person with mesothelioma often qualifies for claims with multiple trusts.

The Owens-Corning Fiberglas products at issue in the Alabama Supreme Court decisions cited above are now handled through the Owens Corning / Fibreboard Asbestos Personal Injury Trust. Johns-Manville insulation supplied to ADDSCO and other industrial sites is handled through the Manville Personal Injury Settlement Trust. Babcock & Wilcox boiler equipment is handled through the Babcock & Wilcox Asbestos Personal Injury Trust.

A full list of active asbestos trust funds is maintained on a separate page.

Filing Process

Trust fund claims follow a standard process, though each trust has its own requirements:

1. Diagnosis documentation, pathology reports confirming mesothelioma
2. Exposure evidence, work history placing the claimant at a site where the trust’s products were used
3. Claim submission, forms filed with each applicable trust
4. Review and payment, trusts review claims and issue payments, typically within three to 12 months

Most trusts offer expedited review for people with mesothelioma. This can shorten processing time meaningfully.

Trust Claims Are Independent of Other Compensation

Trust fund claims do not reduce, offset, or affect:

• State court lawsuits, which proceed under Alabama law and the precedents above
• VA disability benefits, available to veterans exposed during military service
• Workers’ compensation, governed by separate state procedures

Most families pursue all applicable sources at the same time, with an attorney coordinating the filings.

What an Alabama Worker Can Do

Workers exposed at ADDSCO, Fairfield Works, or any other Alabama industrial site can file with the national 524(g) trusts that cover the products they encountered, even when the available state-level data is limited. The strength of a claim depends on documenting:

• The site, dates, and job duties of employment
• The asbestos-containing products used at the site during that period
• The medical diagnosis

An attorney who handles mesothelioma cases can identify the trusts that apply to a specific work history. A starting list of resources includes the Alabama mesothelioma attorney guide, the state-by-state statute of limitations reference, and the national trust fund index.