Johns-Manville

Johns-Manville History of Asbestos Use

The Johns-Manville company has been around for over 150 years. For nearly as long, the company made and sold asbestos products. Experts believe it was the largest manufacturer of asbestos products and the largest supplier of raw asbestos in the United States from the 1920s to the 1970s.

The company became known as Johns-Manville in 1901 after a merger between two companies. One, called H.W. Johns Manufacturing Company, made asbestos textiles, roofing and insulation. The other was called Manville Covering Company.

The new Johns-Manville mined and sold raw asbestos. It also made and supplied asbestos materials to companies and the U.S. government.

From the 1920s to the 1970s, Johns-Manville continued to grow its asbestos product offerings. New asbestos products included asbestos cement, brake linings, sheet packaging, adhesives, gaskets, corrugated paper and other materials. Because they were exposed to asbestos, employees at Johns-Manville began developing related diseases by the late 1920s.

Yet, during World War I and World War II, the company thrived and continued to grow. Its asbestos products were heavily used in insulation for ships and aircraft.

The dangers of asbestos were known and documented by at least the 1920s. But it wasn’t until the 1960s that a bigger emphasis was placed on the harmful effects of asbestos exposure. At this time, the company’s growth and profits began to decline. Despite this, Johns-Manville continued as an asbestos company until 1985.

Johns-Manville’s continued use of asbestos led to more than 9,000 lawsuits by the early 1980s. The company officially filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 1982 and established two asbestos trust funds for property damages and personal injuries a few years later. Asbestos claims against the company continue today.

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Johns-Manville Asbestos Trust Fund

The number of lawsuits against Johns-Manville increased through the 1970s and early 1980s. By 1982, the company faced more than 9,000 lawsuits, with juries awarding plaintiffs large verdicts.

In 1982, Johns-Manville filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy to address declining profits and mounting asbestos liabilities.

The bankruptcy court confirmed the company’s reorganization plan in 1986. The plan established two trusts:

• The Manville Personal Injury Settlement Trust to pay personal injury claims, with an estimated initial funding of $2.5 billion
• The Manville Property Damage Settlement Trust to pay claims for property damage from asbestos removal, initially funded with $125 million

The asbestos trust fund began accepting claims in 1988. Within that first year, the trust had settled over 12,600 claims for nearly $500 million. By 1992, more than 190,000 claims had been filed against the trust.

The large volume of claims created financial challenges for the trust, and payments were suspended temporarily. The trust later reduced its payment percentage to preserve funds for current and future claimants. Asbestos victims may continue to seek mesothelioma compensation from the Manville Trust.

Most Recent Information From the Manville Personal Injury Settlement Trust

According to the Trust’s year-end 2025 report, as of December 31, 2025:

• 19,507 Johns-Manville asbestos claims were settled. 
• The trust paid approximately $56.31 million in asbestos claims.
• Approximately $14.65 million was reported in settled but unpaid claims.
• The Manville Personal Injury Settlement Trust has approximately $629.16 million in total assets.
• The trust has paid approximately $5.3 billion to asbestos victims since it was established.

Current Johns-Manville Asbestos Trust Payment Percentage

The current payment percentage is 5.6% for the Johns-Manville Trust, which was last updated on September 2, 2026. At a payment percentage of 5.6%, the current payout on a Johns-Manville Expedited Review claim for mesothelioma is $19,600.

Determining Review Process for a Manville Personal Injury Settlement Trust Claim

There are several factors to consider when determining how to file a Johns-Manville (JM) claim. An asbestos attorney will review the injured party’s exposure history, diagnosis and personal information to determine the best way to file a claim so that the client receives the maximum compensation possible for their Johns-Manville claim.

A sample of Johns-Manville claims filed between 2023 and 2025 indicated that approximately 79% percent of claims were filed using the Expedited Review (ER) process. Approximately 21% of Johns-Manville claims were filed using the Individual Review (IR) process.

• Expedited Review Process: Johns-Manville claims filed under the ER process will receive a quicker review based on medical and exposure criteria established by the trust. Qualified JM claims will receive the standard scheduled value established for the applicable diagnosis and disease level.
• Individual Review Process: Johns-Manville claims filed using the IR process will undergo an in-depth evaluation of a claimant’s JM exposure, medical diagnosis and other personal information to determine the individual liquidated value. This review process may take longer to complete. IR submission is required for certain claims, including secondary exposure claims and some lung cancer diagnoses.

If you developed an asbestos disease after using Johns-Manville’s products, you may be entitled to compensation. Learn how a mesothelioma lawyer can help file a Johns-Manville asbestos claim on your behalf.

Did You Know? Mesothelioma victims may be eligible for compensation from more than one asbestos trust fund. Filing a claim with one trust does not impact your eligibility for compensation from another trust fund. Learn More About Accessing Trust Funds

Johns-Manville Asbestos Products

Johns-Manville has been recognized as one of the nation’s leading manufacturers and distributors of both raw asbestos and asbestos-containing goods. For decades, the company focused on a wide array of asbestos materials, largely within the construction industry. They also expanded into automotive parts, producing products like clutch linings, brake blocks and brake linings. Common Johns-Manville asbestos products include:

• Adhesives
• Asbestos cement sheets
• Asbestos felt
• Asbestos shingles
• Asbestos textiles
• Automotive parts
• Cement (transite)
• Construction materials
• Fireproofing materials
• Friction materials
• Insulation
• Paper
• Pipe coverings
• Roofing products

You can find some specific asbestos products made by Johns-Manville in the expandable table below.

Johns-Manville and Occupational Exposure

Workers across the country faced the risk of occupational asbestos exposure from Johns-Manville products and operations. Affected employees included construction workers, miners and factory workers. These workers may have handled asbestos insulation and construction materials, as well as raw asbestos.

At its peak asbestos use, reports estimate the company had at least 3,500 employees. Workers for other companies and in many industries also faced exposure. Johns-Manville products were used in countless buildings, homes, schools, ships and more.

Additionally, homeowners, vehicle owners and others may be at risk for exposure when making repairs or renovations. Families of workers and consumers also faced an increased risk of asbestos-related diseases, such as lung cancer and mesothelioma.

Any asbestos exposure may result in an individual developing an asbestos-related illness such as mesothelioma. Some occupations impacted by Johns-Manville’s asbestos use include:

• Asbestos miners
• Boiler workers and inspectors
• Brake manufacturers and repairers
• Brick masons
• Carpenters
• Construction workers
• Electricians
• Factory workers
• Furnace installers and repairers
• HVAC installers and repairers
• Industrial plant workers
• Insulators
• Machine operators
• Mechanics
• Military veterans
• Mine workers
• Pipefitters
• Plasterers
• Plumbers
• Railroad engineers and workers
• Sheet metal workers
• Shipyard workers
• Steamfitters
• Steel workers
• Textile mill workers
• Tile installers
• Welders

The Johns-Manville trust fund lists many of these occupations at “heavy exposure” risk levels. These include insulators, plumbers, railroad engineers and brakemen, shipyard workers and welders or other metal workers.

According to the trust, shipyard workers were particularly at risk of asbestos exposure and related illnesses. Building, repairing, maintaining and operating ships exposed millions of shipyard workers worldwide to asbestos.

Questions About Filing a Claim Against Johns-Manville? Ask experienced mesothelioma advocate Jennifer Lucarelli Ask a Question

Asbestos Lawsuits Against Johns-Manville

Johns-Manville employees began to complain about lung diseases and disability as a result of asbestos exposure on the job as early as 1929. Allegedly, Johns-Manville handled these early claims in private and settled in secrecy. However, the number of asbestos claims grew very quickly.

Sources stated Johns-Manville tried to discredit many of these claims. They argued that employees were also negligent because they knew or should have known of the dangers of asbestos. The corporation further argued that, until 1964, the company wasn’t legally required to have warning labels about asbestos on their products.

Despite such efforts, new asbestos lawsuits continued to rise, reaching 159 in 1976 and jumping to 792 within two years. By 1979, the company was a defendant or co-defendant in more than 1,500 lawsuits.

Another notable case filed against Johns-Manville reached a decision in 1985. The plaintiff was a boilermaker who developed lung cancer after beginning work in the industry in 1939. He explained that he had worked in close proximity with insulators. He was exposed to so much asbestos during his shifts that he likened it to having a barrel of flour dumped on him.

Johns-Manville supplied upwards of 90% of the insulation materials on these jobsites. As a result of his prolonged exposure, the man developed asbestos lung cancer and his health quickly declined. The jury awarded him and his wife $2.3 million.

The verdict was upheld on appeal, citing the company’s negligence in exposing employees and clear knowledge of the dangers of asbestos.

In 2014, the families of 11 residents of Manville, New Jersey, were cumulatively awarded $90.5 million. The families sued two foreign companies that had sold asbestos to Johns-Manville. Major manufacturing plants operated in the area, exposing numerous workers and residents to asbestos. The 11 New Jersey residents all died of asbestos-related cancer and diseases. Many were workers at the plants, but some were also victims of secondhand exposure from family members employed at Johns-Manville’s facilities.

Successful Settlements Against Johns-Manville

Victims of Johns-Manville’s asbestos exposure were able to receive settlements prior to the company going bankrupt. Examples of previous asbestos settlements against Johns-Manville include:

• A 74-year-old pipefitter in Denver, Colorado, named Johns-Manville in their exposure case. They won $2,815,728.
• A 96-year-old Navy worker and chemist in Chicago, Illinois, named Johns-Manville as a source of asbestos exposure. They received $1,609,462.