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CE Thurston & Sons Inc.
In 1919 a man named C.E. Thurston founded a small company that would come to be known as C.E. Thurston & Sons. Within a few years they were a well established contractor in the state of Virginia. The company specialized in providing insulation for facilities that maintained extremely high or low temperatures to properly manufacture their wares. In order to provide goods that could endure the heated and frigid environments, C.E. Thurston & Sons used asbestos as a primary ingredient in their products.
Asbestos was used by the company until the end of the 1970's. By that time it was found to be a highly toxic material that was likely to cause damage to the respiratory system of any person that got close to it. The damage would begin after an unsuspecting person inhaled microscopic asbestos fibers which would lodge internally and remain in place for years. When this goes undiscovered, it can lead to serious illness and a potentially deadly form of cancer known as Mesothelioma.
As a result of the use of asbestos, C.E. Thurston & Sons was faced with thousands of personal injury claims from people who were exposed to their products and claimed to have been made ill by them. In an attempt to settle these claims, the company signed The Wellington Agreement in 1985 which established a group called the Asbestos Claims Facility (ACF). The facility would oversee and investigate all claims made against several companies who were part of this agreement, and make payments when it was considered necessary. About two years later the ACF disbanded when multiple companies pulled out of the agreement.
To continue dealing with their asbestos related lawsuits, C.E. Thurston and various partners formed the Center for Claims Resolution (CCR) in 1988. The CCR was then responsible for examining claims and establishing settlements on all valid lawsuits. This organization lasted until 2001, and Mr. Thurston was then left to settle all claims on his own accord. He most often dealt privately with claimants and settled for undisclosed sums. By 2006, Thurston sought help from the United States Bankruptcy Court, who helped establish a plan to reorganize the company and create the C.E. Thurston & Sons, Inc. Asbestos Trust to settle any outstanding or future asbestos related claims. The Trust remains in effect today and handles claims that primarily stem from the 13 individual states in which C.E. Thurston was certified to provide insulation products.