Was Rockwell International — asbestos documented in litigation?

Rockwell International — is documented in public asbestos litigation records as a manufacturer whose products contained asbestos during the mid-twentieth century. Workers in industrial facilities, power plants, refineries, shipyards, and commercial construction who handled or worked near these products may have experienced occupational exposure.

Which trades had the most exposure?

Pipe coverers and insulators, pipefitters, boilermakers, millwrights, and maintenance workers are among the trades most frequently documented in asbestos exposure claims. Workers who cut, fitted, or removed asbestos-containing products — and those working in close proximity during that work — typically had the highest fiber concentrations.

How long do workers have to file an asbestos claim?

Statutes of limitations for asbestos personal injury claims vary by state, typically ranging from one to five years from the date of an asbestos-related diagnosis. The clock generally starts at diagnosis, not exposure — mesothelioma can have a latency period of 20 to 50 years. An asbestos attorney can identify the deadlines that apply to your specific situation.

Can workers file claims related to Rockwell International — asbestos exposure?

Yes. Workers diagnosed with mesothelioma, asbestos-related lung cancer, or asbestosis after exposure to Rockwell International — products may pursue claims through civil litigation. An experienced asbestos attorney can assess available defendants, applicable trust funds from co-defendants, and the states where claims can be filed most effectively.

Can family members file secondary exposure claims?

Spouses, children, and household members who developed asbestos-related disease through contact with contaminated work clothing brought home by an exposed worker may be eligible for secondary (household) exposure claims. Wrongful-death claims can also be filed by surviving family members of workers who died from asbestos-related disease.

Industrial-Furnaces

Rockwell International Space, Defense, Automotive, and Industrial Manufacturing Plants

⚖ Litigation Record1919-2001 (Rockwell International; various successors); asbestos era through 1980sAsbestos pipe covering; asbestos refractory in heat-treat furnaces; asbestos block insulation; asbestos gaskets and packing; asbestos electrical insulation; asbestos brake friction on Rockwell truck axles

Overview Product Facts Trades

Litigation Record: Information below reflects allegations in publicly filed asbestos litigation — plaintiff allegations, not findings of fact.

Premises Description

Rockwell International Corporation (formed 1973 by merger of North American Rockwell Corporation and Rockwell Manufacturing Company; broken up 1996-2001 with divisions spun off to Boeing, Meritor, Rockwell Automation, Rockwell Collins, and others) was through the 1970s-1990s one of the largest U.S. aerospace, defense, automotive, and industrial conglomerates. Rockwell operated through the asbestos era U.S. manufacturing plants including:

Downey CA — Rockwell Space Systems Division (Apollo Command Module, Space Shuttle orbiter final assembly; today aerospace park redevelopment)
Palmdale CA (USAF Plant 42) — B-1B Lancer bomber final assembly
Seal Beach CA — Rockwell Space Division corporate
El Segundo CA — Rockwell Autonetics (avionics, navigation, inertial systems)
Cedar Rapids IA — Rockwell Collins (avionics, communications — spun off 2001, today Collins Aerospace)
Troy MI — Rockwell Automotive (heavy-truck axles and drivetrains — spun off as Meritor 1997)
Milwaukee WI — Rockwell Automation (Allen-Bradley) — spun off 2001
Newark OH, Sunnyvale CA, Warminster PA — additional operations

Rockwell heavy-truck axle operations at Troy MI and elsewhere manufactured axles specified with asbestos brake friction material on heavy-truck brake drums used across U.S. heavy-truck OEMs. Rockwell aerospace and space operations at Downey, Palmdale, and El Segundo used extensive asbestos-containing plant infrastructure through the asbestos era.

Plaintiffs alleged in publicly filed U.S. asbestos personal-injury and wrongful-death litigation that Rockwell International — as premises owner — exposed its aerospace, defense, automotive, and industrial workforce and contractor pipefitters, insulators, boilermakers, and trade workers to extensive asbestos.

Rockwell International / Boeing / Meritor / Rockwell Automation / Rockwell Collins has been named as a Manufacturer Defendant (truck-axle brake friction) and Premises Defendant (manufacturing plants) in publicly filed U.S. asbestos personal-injury and wrongful-death litigation.

Workers Exposed

IAM / UAW aerospace machinist Local members at Rockwell Downey, Palmdale, El Segundo, Cedar Rapids
UAW / heavy-truck manufacturing workers at Rockwell Automotive Troy MI (later Meritor)
Brake mechanics working Rockwell / Meritor heavy-truck axle brake components
Refinery pipefitters and millwrights working Rockwell capital projects
Insulators (HFIAW Local members) on Rockwell construction and turnaround crews
Construction-trade workforces on Rockwell EPC projects

If You Worked at a Rockwell International Plant

If you worked at a Rockwell International Corporation aerospace, space, defense, automotive, or industrial manufacturing plant during the asbestos era — at Downey CA, Palmdale CA, El Segundo CA, Cedar Rapids IA, Troy MI, Milwaukee WI, or any other Rockwell site — as an employee or as a dispatched contractor trade worker — and have since been diagnosed with mesothelioma, asbestosis, lung cancer, or another asbestos-related illness, you may have legal rights.

Free, confidential case evaluation: Speak with O’Brien Law Firm — (314) 936-2956

Product Facts

Trade NameRockwell International Space, Defense, Automotive, and Industrial Manufacturing Plants

Years Produced1919-2001 (Rockwell International; various successors); asbestos era through 1980s

Asbestos ContentAsbestos pipe covering; asbestos refractory in heat-treat furnaces; asbestos block insulation; asbestos gaskets and packing; asbestos electrical insulation; asbestos brake friction on Rockwell truck axles

CategoryIndustrial-Furnaces Brake-Friction Electrical Gaskets

Trust FundNo active trust

Exposed Trades & Occupations

Aerospace machinistsTruck-axle manufacturing workersInsulatorsRefinery pipefitters

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Were You Exposed to an Asbestos-Containing Product?

If you have been diagnosed with an asbestos-related disease and were exposed to asbestos-containing products, you and your family may be entitled to significant compensation through asbestos trust funds and civil litigation. An attorney experienced in product liability and asbestos claims can evaluate your case — at no cost to you.

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Statutes of limitations may limit the time you have to act
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Asbestos Product Liability & Mesothelioma Claims

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