Published September 30, 2026
People who developed mesothelioma or other asbestos-related disease after working around shipboard interiors installed by Hopeman Brothers now have a defined path to compensation. In a September 15, 2026 order, Judge David Novak in the Eastern District of Virginia confirmed the company's third amended Chapter 11 plan, which creates a dedicated trust to pay current and future asbestos personal injury claims, according to legal news reports.
Hopeman Brothers worked as a marine joiner — the contractor that supplied and installed interior components such as bulkheads, panels, and furnishings aboard ships. For decades, fire-safety requirements for vessels led to the use of asbestos-containing materials, and the company used products such as Marinite panels and Marine Veneer until it stopped using asbestos by 1977. It sold its remaining shipbuilding assets in 2003 and has had no ongoing operations since, leaving only legacy asbestos liabilities. It filed for Chapter 11 in Richmond on June 30, 2024.
Judge Novak found that the plan meets the requirements of Section 524(g) of the Bankruptcy Code, the provision that lets a company channel its asbestos liabilities into a trust in exchange for funding it. Once a 524(g) plan takes effect, injured people generally pursue those claims against the trust rather than suing the company directly. The order also stated the plan had already been substantially consummated.
The trust's funding comes mostly from insurance: roughly $50 million in total, made up of about $18.4 million from a group of settling insurers and a $31.5 million policy buyback with Chubb, plus whatever assets the company had left. Asbestos claimants who voted backed the plan overwhelmingly — about 99.7% of returned ballots, according to case research. The claims agent for the case is Verita Global.
Hopeman joins the long list of companies whose asbestos liabilities now sit in trusts, which collectively hold billions of dollars for victims. Former shipyard workers, Navy veterans, and others who spent time aboard vessels outfitted by the company may be able to file against the new trust — often alongside claims against other trusts or solvent defendants tied to the same exposure. Trust payment percentages and filing procedures are typically published once a trust begins operating.
If you or a family member was diagnosed with mesothelioma or another asbestos-related illness after shipyard or Navy work, see Atumio's asbestos and mesothelioma case page for a free eligibility review, or start your case review directly.