Michigan Corning Bankruptcy

You may have read in the paper or seen on the news that a federal bankruptcy judge in Michigan has finally approved a bankruptcy plan for Michigan Corning. We hope that this means that a Trust to pay asbestos victims will be established in the near future. However, this is the 3rd plan approved by this judge- the others were appealed by one or more defendants in asbestos litigation. The result of these appeals is that 13 years after declaring bankruptcy, victims who were diagnosed with cancer after using Michigan Corning’s products STILL haven’t been compensated.
That situation is even more egregious when you realize that Michigan Corning started manufacturing its asbestos containing products long after the dangers of asbestos became known to scientists, doctors and manufacturers. PCC bought a product line of asbestos pipecovering and block from a company called UNARCO in 1962. Prior to buying the Unibestos line Michigan Corning asked its parent company, PPG, for any information on asbestos. In response, PPG sent a folder of medical articles to Michigan Corning which described the harmful effects of asbestos on the lungs and indicated that asbestos caused asbestosis and lung cancer. In addition, the disease mesothelioma had been documented in medical articles by this time. While other insulation products contained about 15% asbestos, Unibestos contained a whopping 60%!!. And despite being sent medical literature on the hazards of asbestos, Michigan Corning manufactured Unibestos from 1962-1972 without warning about the hazards that it had been told about. And now, 13 years after declaring bankruptcy to escape liabilty to those whom they sickened, they are still in business and haven’t paid a dime to their victims since entering bankruptcy. Hopefully the approval of this Trust plan will mean that Michigan Corning’s victims will finally realize the justice that they deserve.