If you or a loved one worked at the Midland Steel plant in Cleveland and later developed mesothelioma, lung cancer, asbestosis, or a related illness, a Midland Steel asbestos lawsuit is one of two compensation paths available. You can sue the companies responsible for the exposure, file claims against asbestos bankruptcy trust funds, or do both. Ohio generally gives you two years from diagnosis, or from a loved one’s death, to file.
Who Was Exposed at the Cleveland Plant
Midland Steel’s Cleveland facility employed roughly 1,500 workers in the 1970s and used asbestos extensively in machinery, equipment, and building insulation from the 1950s through the 1990s. Insulated equipment included ovens, stoves, furnaces, rolling mills, tanks, boilers, cranes, and steam pipes. The plant closed on April 30, 2003.1The Lyon Firm. Midland Steel Asbestos Lawsuit Lawyers2Case Western Reserve University Encyclopedia of Cleveland History. Midland-Ross Co3Coachbuilt.com. Midland Steel Products Co
Workers in certain trades faced the highest exposure. Pipefitters, plumbers, maintenance crews, machinists, electricians, factory foremen, lathe operators, welders, millwrights, and inspectors all worked close to asbestos-containing materials. Prolonged or acute exposure at the plant has been linked to mesothelioma, lung cancer, asbestosis, pulmonary fibrosis, and adenocarcinoma.1The Lyon Firm. Midland Steel Asbestos Lawsuit Lawyers
A note on the name: a separate Crucible Steel facility in Midland, Pennsylvania is also an identified asbestos exposure site, but it is a different company and location from Cleveland’s Midland Steel.4Lee W. Davis, Attorney at Law. Crucible Steel Midland PA
Two Ways to Recover Compensation
Former Midland Steel workers diagnosed with an asbestos-related disease generally have two paths, and the two can be pursued at the same time without interfering with each other.5Asbestos.com. Asbestos Trust Fund Claims
Personal Injury or Wrongful Death Lawsuit
A living person diagnosed with mesothelioma or another asbestos-related illness can sue the companies responsible for their exposure. If the person has already died, surviving family members or the estate’s representative can file a wrongful death claim instead. A personal injury case already in progress typically converts into a wrongful death or survival action if the patient dies before resolution.6Mesothelioma.net. What Is a Wrongful Death Mesothelioma Lawsuit
Personal injury claims can recover medical expenses, lost wages, and pain and suffering. Wrongful death claims cover funeral costs, loss of financial support, and the family’s emotional losses.7Mesothelioma Guide. Mesothelioma Personal Injury Lawsuits Most mesothelioma lawsuits settle. Average settlements generally range from $1 million to $2 million. Mealey’s 2024 data places the average jury verdict at $20.7 million, though only about 5% of cases reach that stage.8Asbestos.com. Mesothelioma Lawsuit Settlements
Asbestos Trust Fund Claims
More than 60 asbestos trust funds hold roughly $30 billion in total, set up by companies that went bankrupt because of asbestos liabilities.5Asbestos.com. Asbestos Trust Fund Claims These claims are filed administratively, not in court. You will generally need medical records confirming an asbestos-related diagnosis, employment records showing you worked at a site where a bankrupt company’s products were used, and in some cases witness statements. Typical combined payouts across multiple trusts fall between $300,000 and $400,000, and most claims are processed within three to twelve months.9Simmons Hanly Conroy. Asbestos Trust Funds
How Long You Have to File
Every state has a statute of limitations on asbestos claims, and missing it can bar your case permanently. For personal injury, the clock starts at diagnosis. For wrongful death, it starts at the date of death.10Mesothelioma Guide. Mesothelioma Statute of Limitations
Because Midland Steel operated in Ohio, many claims fall under Ohio’s two-year deadline for both personal injury and wrongful death filings.11Sokolove Law. Mesothelioma Lawsuit Statute of Limitations A case can sometimes be filed in another state where the plaintiff lived, where exposure occurred, or where a defendant company is based. Some states offer longer windows. Maine and Minnesota allow up to six years for personal injury claims, and Missouri allows five. If you think an Ohio deadline has already run, an attorney may still find an alternate jurisdiction that accepts the filing.10Mesothelioma Guide. Mesothelioma Statute of Limitations Trust fund deadlines run on their own clocks and may permit filings even after a state deadline has expired.
Who You Can Sue
The Cleveland plant is closed, so claims typically target successor entities rather than the original employer. The corporate line matters because asbestos liability can follow a company through mergers and name changes:
- In 1957, Midland Steel Products merged with J.O. Ross Engineering Co. to form Midland-Ross Co.
- In 1978, the original Midland Steel Products Co. was sold to Lamson & Sessions.
- In 1986, Forstmann Little & Co. bought Midland-Ross for roughly $450 million and renamed it FL Aerospace, Inc.12Justia. Launois v. Midland-Ross Corp., 751 F. Supp. 452
- In 1994, operations were sold to the Brazilian firm Iochpe-Maxion.3Coachbuilt.com. Midland Steel Products Co
Midland-Ross Corp. has appeared as a named defendant in asbestos litigation.13VerdictSearch. Laborer Asserted Company Knew of Asbestos Exposure Lamson & Sessions, the entity that bought Midland Steel Products in 1978, has also faced asbestos exposure investigations tied to its Cleveland operations.14The Lyon Firm. Lamson and Sessions Asbestos Lawsuit Lawyers A case will usually name multiple defendants: the successor to Midland Steel plus the manufacturers of the asbestos-containing products used in the plant, several of which are now in bankruptcy trusts.
Ohio Rules That Shape the Case
The Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas in Cleveland handles the highest volume of asbestos cases in Ohio, making it the most likely venue for a Midland Steel claim.15U.S. Chamber Institute for Legal Reform. Watching It Work: The Impact of Ohio’s Asbestos Trust Transparency Law
Two Ohio rules are worth knowing before you file. Under Ohio Revised Code Section 2307.941, a premises owner is not liable for asbestos injuries unless the plaintiff’s exposure actually occurred on that owner’s property. The Ohio Supreme Court applied this standard in Boley v. Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. (2010), effectively blocking “take-home” exposure claims where a family member alleges they were sickened by asbestos dust carried home on a worker’s clothing.16Reminger Co., LPA. Ohio Asbestos Litigation Update
Ohio House Bill 380, effective March 27, 2013, requires asbestos plaintiffs to disclose all bankruptcy trust claims and supporting materials to the court and other parties at the start of litigation. The law is designed to prevent plaintiffs from collecting from both a trust fund and a tort defendant for the same exposure without the court knowing.17U.S. Chamber Institute for Legal Reform. Watching It Work: Impact of Ohio’s Asbestos Trust Law A 2017 study of Cuyahoga County cases found the law did not cause meaningful delays when plaintiffs complied with the disclosure requirements.18IADC Defense Counsel Journal. The More Things Change: Bankruptcy Trust Reform and the Status Quo in Asbestos Litigation For plaintiffs, this means expect to document any trust claims you file alongside the lawsuit.