Was Caterpillar Inc. — asbestos documented in litigation?

Caterpillar Inc. — 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 Caterpillar Inc. — asbestos exposure?

Yes. Workers diagnosed with mesothelioma, asbestos-related lung cancer, or asbestosis after exposure to Caterpillar Inc. — 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.

Caterpillar Inc. — Asbestos Manufacturer & Premises Overview

Caterpillar Inc. — Corporate Overview

Premises Description

Caterpillar Inc. (founded 1925 by merger of Holt Manufacturing and C.L. Best Tractor; headquartered Peoria IL through 2017 then Deerfield IL) was through the 20th century and remains today the dominant U.S. and global manufacturer of construction equipment, mining equipment, diesel engines, and natural-gas turbines. Caterpillar operated through the asbestos era an extensive network of U.S. plants concentrated in central Illinois including:

East Peoria Works (East Peoria IL) — flagship track-type tractor and engine plant
Peoria Mapleton Foundry (Mapleton IL) — engine block casting foundry
Mossville Engine Plant (Mossville IL) — large diesel engine production
Aurora Plant (Aurora IL) — hydraulic excavator plant
Decatur IL — large mining truck and equipment plant
Boonville Works (Boonville MO) — track-type tractor production (mid-Missouri operation, mentioned in OBLF Leonard-case context as adjacent to Calmar / Realex Lee’s Summit MO area)
York PA — engine and components
Joliet IL, Mapleton IL, East Peoria IL — additional Illinois operations
Pontiac IL — diesel engine plant

The Caterpillar Boonville MO works was through the asbestos era a major mid-Missouri industrial employer and is documented in publicly filed asbestos litigation as a workplace for trade workers and Caterpillar employees during the documented era.

Plaintiffs alleged in publicly filed U.S. asbestos personal-injury and wrongful-death litigation that Caterpillar Inc. — as premises owner of its U.S. plants and foundries — exposed its UAW workforce and contractor pipefitters, insulators, boilermakers, and trade workers to extensive asbestos through foundry refractory, pipe covering, fireproofing, paint-shop insulation, and process gaskets.

Caterpillar Inc. has been named as a Premises Defendant in publicly filed U.S. asbestos personal-injury and wrongful-death litigation.

Workers Exposed

UAW Local members at East Peoria, Mossville, Mapleton, Aurora, Decatur, Boonville, York, and Joliet
Refinery pipefitters and millwrights working Caterpillar capital projects
Insulators (HFIAW Local members) on Caterpillar construction and turnaround crews
Boilermakers (IBB Local members) building Caterpillar foundry equipment
Construction-trade workforces on Caterpillar EPC projects

If You Worked at a Caterpillar Plant

If you worked at a Caterpillar Inc. construction-equipment plant, engine plant, foundry, or test facility during the asbestos era — including at East Peoria, Mossville, Aurora, Decatur, Boonville MO, or any other Caterpillar U.S. facility — 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) 207-2823

Documented Jobsites

Workers at these jobsites allegedly encountered Caterpillar Inc. asbestos products or premises, per public litigation and historical records:

Caterpillar Inc.

Caterpillar Manufacturing Boonville Missouri Asbestos Equipment Jobsite
John Deere Asbestos Premises Tractor Plants Exposure
International Harvester / Navistar Asbestos Premises Exposure

Plants by State

Caterpillar Inc. operated plants across multiple U.S. states. Detailed premises information is available on the following state jobsite pages:

Illinois — Caterpillar Inc. Illinois plant premises
Missouri — Caterpillar Inc. Missouri plant premises

Documented in Public Court Records

According to publicly filed federal asbestos litigation records (reviewed via CourtListener/RECAP), Caterpillar has been named in 900+ documented asbestos dockets filed between 1992 and 2025 — concentrated in the federal asbestos multidistrict litigation (In re: Asbestos Products Liability Litigation, MDL 875, E.D. Pennsylvania) and other U.S. district courts.

In these publicly filed cases, Caterpillar is most often named alongside other companies frequently sued as co-defendants in the same asbestos actions, including General Electric, Union Carbide, Honeywell International, Metropolitan Life Insurance, Crane Co., IMO Industries, Warren Pumps, CBS.

Case counts and co-defendant associations are drawn from publicly filed litigation records and reflect allegations, not findings of liability, which is determined case by case.

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 have a legal claim. An attorney experienced in product liability and asbestos claims can evaluate your case — at no cost to you.

Living with a diagnosis?

If you were diagnosed with an asbestos-related disease, a filing deadline may already be running. You may have a legal claim now — and claims can often be pursued even if the company is out of business.

Lost a loved one to mesothelioma?

Surviving spouses and children may pursue a wrongful-death claim and asbestos-trust recovery on a loved one's behalf — a separate deadline that can run from the date of passing.

Free case evaluation — no obligation to hire

No attorney fee unless we make a financial recovery

Personal-injury and wrongful-death claims both evaluated

Statutes of limitations may limit the time you have to act

Trust fund claims, civil lawsuits, and VA benefits pursued simultaneously

Call: (314) 207-2823 Free consultation — available now

O’Brien Law Firm

Asbestos Product Liability & Mesothelioma Claims