Halliburton Company’s History of Asbestos Use
Erle Halliburton began his company after his firing from Perkins Oil Well Cementing Company. Allegedly, Halliburton was let go due to his numerous suggestions on how the Perkins company could improve. Using the skills he gained through his time serving in the Navy and his short stint at Perkins, he set out to change the oil industry.
He moved from California to Texas to introduce his ideas to the oil industry. Unfortunately, Texas wasn’t impressed. Unfazed, Halliburton moved to Oklahoma and pressed on.
Halliburton Company never used asbestos, however, it faced hundreds of thousands of asbestos lawsuits due to their subsidiaries’ use of the fiber.
In Oklahoma, Halliburton Company was a quick success. By 1932, the company had four branches and 75 crews and offered services in seven states. As oil continued to gain popularity in the United States, and across the world, the Halliburton Company prospered. The company’s large profit margin led them to acquire many companies, including Brown & Root Inc. in 1962 and Dresser Industries Inc. in 1998.
These two acquisitions would prove problematic for Halliburton. Although Halliburton Company didn’t use asbestos themselves, Brown & Root Inc. and Dresser Industries used asbestos in their products, leading to asbestos cases. Through the Dresser acquisition alone, Halliburton inherited 300,000 asbestos claims. These claims and the related litigation costs led the company to file for bankruptcy in December 2003.
DII Industries, LLC Asbestos PI Trust Fund
In 1998, Halliburton Company acquired Dresser Industries, Inc. and assumed responsibility for asbestos claims associated with both Dresser Industries, Inc. and Harbison-Walker Refractories Company.
After Harbison-Walker Refractory Company filed for bankruptcy in 2002, Halliburton reached a settlement agreement to form a $5.1 billion asbestos trust fund. The trust was funded with approximately 60 million shares of Halliburton stock and $2.8 billion in cash.
On January 20, 2005, the DII Industries, LLC Asbestos PI Trust was established to pay claims on behalf of:
- Dresser Industries, Inc.
- Halliburton Company
- Harbison-Walker Refractories Company
- Kellogg Brown and Root, Inc.
The trust is operational and still accepting Halliburton claims today. In the interest of protecting the rights of future asbestos claimants, all successful claims filed against the trust are compensated according to a set payment percentage.
Most Recent Information From DII Industries, LLC Asbestos PI Trust
The trust’s year-end 2024 report revealed, as of December 31, 2024:
- Over 4,950 Halliburton asbestos trust claims were paid.
- The Trust has paid over $51.9 million for Halliburton claims.
- Over $2.167 million was reported in settled but unpaid Halliburton and Harbison-Walker claims.
- More than $1.98 billion has been paid in Halliburton and Harbison-Walker claim settlements since the Trust was established.
- More than $1.32 billion in total assets remain in the DII Industries, LLC Asbestos PI Trust to pay Halliburton and Harbison-Walker claims.
Current DII Industries, LLC Asbestos Trust Payment Percentage for Halliburton Claims
The current payment percentage is 60% for the DII Industries, LLC Asbestos PI Trust. At a payment percentage of 60%, the current payout on a Halliburton Expedited Review claim for mesothelioma is $34,320.
Determining Review Process When Filing a Halliburton Claim
An experienced asbestos lawyer will review the injured party’s information to determine the appropriate review process for submitting a Halliburton asbestos claim. A sample of Halliburton claims filed between 2022 and 2024 indicated that approximately 69% of claims were filed under the Expedited Review (ER) process. Approximately 31% of Halliburton claims were filed using the Individual Review (IR) process.
- Expedited Review Process: Halliburton claims meeting all medical and exposure criteria outlined in the Trust Distribution Procedures should be submitted through the ER process for a faster evaluation. Qualified claims will receive the standard scheduled value payment based on the diagnosed disease level.
- Individual Review Process: Halliburton claims can be submitted through the IR process on a case-by-case basis and will undergo a detailed evaluation of exposure history, medical documentation, and personal records to determine the individual liquidated value. IR submission is required for certain lung cancer diagnoses, secondary exposure claims, or when a claim does not meet the standard trust criteria.
The Trust is currently accepting claims to compensate asbestos victims with payment amounts determined by factors such as age, diagnosis, exposure history and the law firm’s settlement history. If you or a loved one were exposed to products manufactured by Halliburton and believe you are entitled to compensation, learn how a mesothelioma lawyer can help.
Resources for Mesothelioma Patients
Halliburton Company Asbestos Products
Halliburton Company’s asbestos products are the result of their acquisitions of Brown & Root Inc. and Dresser Industries. The companies are now known as DII Industries, LLC and Kellogg Brown & Root.
The Halliburton subsidiaries used asbestos in their products to increase resistance to heat and fire and increase durability and insulation properties. For example, Dresser and its acquisition, Harbison-Walker, used asbestos in their bricks and pipe coatings. Harbison-Walker produced asbestos-containing products from the 1900s into the 1970s. It has been alleged the companies were aware of the dangers of asbestos but continued to use the additive in their production as a cost-saving measure.
Halliburton Company Products Containing Asbestos Include:
Pumps
- Worthington Horizontal Single Air and Steam Heating Vacuum “AE” and “AF” Pumps
- Worthington Monobloc Centrifugal Pump and “DE” Monobloc Pump
- Worthington Split Case Centrifugal Horizontal Single Stage Volute Pump Types “R”, “L” and “U”
- Worthington Horizontal Duplex Piston Pattern Steam Pump “VA” and “VC” Pumps
- Worthington General Purpose “CF” Model Pump
- Dresser Pumps
- Ingersoll-Dresser Pumps
- Pacific Steam Turbopumps (used on passenger ships)
Compressors
- Clark Compressors
- Roots Compressors
- Worthington Compressors
- Dresser-Rand Compressors
- LeRoi Compressors
Turbines
- Moore Turbines
- Worthington Turbines
- Worthington-Moore Turbines
- Dresser-Rand Steam Turbines
Drilling Muds
- IMCO Drilling Mud Styles: – Best, Diaseal M, Flosal, Shurlift, Super Best, Super Visbestos, Univis, Visbestos
- Magcobar/Dresser Drilling Mud Styles: – Diaseal M, Flosal, Olifaze, Visbestos, Visquick
- Baroid Drilling Mud Styles: – Flosal, Diaseal M, Visbestos, Super Visbestos
Miscellaneous Products
- Alco Locomotives
- Bay State Abrasive Products
- Kellogg Brown & Root
- Mason Standard Reducing Valves
- Mid-Valley
Asbestos-containing products produced by Halliburton Company and its subsidiaries were used throughout the oil industry, but also could be found on ships, locomotives and for other uses.
Halliburton Company and Occupational Exposure
Halliburton Company asbestos products were used widely throughout many industries. Those who experience repeated long-term asbestos exposure, like on certain jobsites, are most at risk of developing asbestos-related diseases. Occupational asbestos exposure is the most common cause of mesothelioma and other diseases and continues to impact many former Halliburton Co. employees.
In addition to Halliburton Company employees, anyone who came in contact with its asbestos products through work may have been exposed, including shipyard workers and train workers.
Asbestos Litigation Against Halliburton Company
In 2001, Halliburton asbestos verdicts in Texas, Mississippi and Maryland totaled more than $150 million.
Halliburton Company’s asbestos litigation began in the 1970s, but reached a boiling point in the early 2000s. The first asbestos lawsuit was filed against the company in 1976 and was the beginning of decades of asbestos-related costs. Between 1976 and the early 2000s, Halliburton was named in more than 474,000 asbestos claims. The company has reported paying $900 million in asbestos settlements between 2002 and 2004.
In addition to the costs related to asbestos victim compensation, the Halliburton Company faced a drastic drop in stock prices as a result of the asbestos claims. In 2001, Halliburton stock dropped more than 40% in just one day. This loss in revenue, coupled with the vast amounts paid to compensate victims, was problematic.
