The Celotex Asbestos Settlement Trust pays claims to people who developed mesothelioma or another asbestos-related disease after exposure to products made or sold by the Celotex Corporation. That includes asbestos products from the Philip Carey lines, which Celotex took responsibility for. Celotex reorganized in bankruptcy in the 1990s, and the trust created through that process now handles its asbestos claims. A Celotex trust claim can be pursued alongside a lawsuit against companies that are still in business.
Celotex Corporation and Philip Carey Asbestos Products
Celotex was a major American building-products manufacturer. Over the decades, its catalog included roofing materials, insulation board, wallboard, and other construction products, and for many years, some of those products contained asbestos. Through a corporate acquisition, Celotex also assumed responsibility for asbestos products sold under the Philip Carey name. That line included pipe covering and other insulation used heavily in industrial settings.
The two product lines matter for families. A roofer might remember Celotex shingles and felts. An insulator or pipefitter might remember Carey pipe covering. Both memories can lead to the same trust, so a lawyer reviewing a work history checks for both.
The Celotex Bankruptcy and the Asbestos Settlement Trust
Mounting asbestos litigation pushed Celotex into Chapter 11 bankruptcy. When its reorganization was approved, the Celotex Asbestos Settlement Trust was created and funded to pay current and future asbestos claims. Since then, people harmed by Celotex or Carey asbestos products have filed claims with the trust under its written procedures rather than suing the companies in court.
Pennsylvania Workers Exposed to Celotex Asbestos
Celotex and Carey products moved through Pennsylvania job sites for decades. The workers most often connected to them include:
- Roofers and roofing laborers who handled shingles, felts, and roofing cements
- Insulators and pipefitters who cut and fit pipe covering in plants, refineries, and shipyards
- Carpenters, drywallers, and construction workers who cut insulation board and wallboard
- Family members who may have been exposed at home to dust carried in on work clothes
You do not need to prove any of this before calling a lawyer. Reconstructing a work history from records and testimony is the law firm’s job.
Mesothelioma Diagnosis Years After Asbestos Exposure
The long gap between the work and the diagnosis does not close the door on a claim. Mesothelioma usually appears decades after asbestos exposure, according to the National Cancer Institute. A roofer who handled these products early in a career may only be diagnosed late in life. Pennsylvania’s filing deadline is generally tied to when the disease is diagnosed or discovered, not to when the exposure happened. That window is short, so families should speak with a lawyer soon after a diagnosis.
Celotex Trust Claim Requirements and Eligibility
The Celotex trust looks for the same core elements as other asbestos trusts. A claim needs a documented diagnosis of an asbestos-related disease. It needs credible evidence linking the person to a covered Celotex or Carey product. And it needs a claimant with standing to file, which can be the diagnosed person or, after a death, the family and estate.
The claim is administrative. The trust reviews it on paper against its own criteria, with no courtroom appearance or trial testimony required from the family. Payments follow the trust’s current procedures and vary with the disease and the strength of the evidence. We do not publish payment figures because the trust sets them, and they change over time.
Combining a Celotex Trust Claim With a Pennsylvania Asbestos Lawsuit
Very few people with mesothelioma were exposed to only one company’s asbestos. A typical Pennsylvania case combines trust claims against bankrupt companies like Celotex with a lawsuit against solvent defendants. The two tracks need careful coordination. Statements made to a trust can be obtained in litigation, and Pennsylvania’s Fair Share Act shapes how responsibility is divided among everyone involved. When the tracks are handled well, they support each other. When they are handled carelessly, one can weaken the other. Start with our asbestos trust funds overview for a full explanation of the system.
Next Steps for Families Pursuing a Celotex Asbestos Claim
If roofing, insulation work, or general construction appears in your family’s work history, Celotex is one of several trusts a lawyer will screen for, along with related building-products trusts such as USG. The trust exists and was established to support people in your situation. Filing with it does not prevent you from also pursuing a lawsuit, and an experienced lawyer can coordinate the two so they work together.
To have your family’s work history screened against Celotex and every other applicable trust, request a free case review.