Travelers to Pay More Than 1,300 Claims Filed in Akron Asbestos Suit

More than 1,300 damage claims were filed in a northeast Ohio court on behalf of the heirs of Akron-area rubber and auto workers who died or developed serious illnesses from exposure to asbestos.

The claims in Summit County Probate Court range from $2,100 to $23,000 depending upon the severity of medical diagnoses.

A fund totaling $80 million was set up in 2004 after insurer Travelers Cos. reached a settlement with attorneys representing tens of thousands of U.S. rubber workers, boilermakers and other laborers who had filed asbestos-related claims from as far back as the 1980s, The Akron Beacon Journal reported.

The court appointed an independent administrator to begin finalizing paperwork that will go to the special claims company handling the payout fund.

A lengthy series of appeals delayed payments until the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court in New York, where claims had been consolidated, ordered Travelers to the damages.

Travelers insured Johns Manville Corp. of Denver, the largest U.S. manufacturer of asbestos-containing products for more than half a century.