Uniroyal Holding Files Chapter 11 to Dissolve With 35,000 Asbestos Claims Pending

Uniroyal Holding, Inc. and subsidiary Great Hill Corporation filed for Chapter 11 on July 31, 2026 in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of New Jersey, seeking to settle more than 35,000 pending asbestos claims and dissolve.

Why it matters: Uniroyal proposes to satisfy non-tort claims, so find out now whether you hold one.

Uniroyal Holding has existed since 1985 to pay retirees and fight claims

The debtor is a legacy liability vehicle, not an operating manufacturer, and that changes how creditors get treated.

• Uniroyal Holding was created in 1985 out of the restructuring of Uniroyal Inc., the company founded in 1892 as United States Rubber Company and named one of the original 12 members of the Dow Jones Industrial Average in 1896.
• Its two stated purposes over the last 41 years were paying retirement benefits to former Uniroyal Inc. employees and managing litigation.
• The Naugatuck, Connecticut debtor listed $10 million to $50 million in assets against $50 million to $100 million in liabilities, with between 25,001 and 50,000 creditors, under case number 26-18668.

516,656 claims filed since 1985, more than 35,000 still open

The filing is a succession problem as much as a solvency one.

• Uniroyal Holding has resolved 216,994 personal injury and wrongful death cases and paid just under $500 million, while another 264,232 claims were dismissed.
• Weitz & Luxenberg accounts for 22,754 of the pending cases, the largest block among the 30 firms the petition lists.
• President and General Counsel Robert V. D’Angelo, Jr. told the court the claim volume “will quickly become unmanageable upon retirement of the current Uniroyal employee team.”

Where non-tort creditors sit in the proposed plan

Uniroyal filed a consensual joint plan alongside the petition, and it puts trade and contract claims on a separate track from the tort claims.

• The plan proposes to satisfy all non-personal-injury and wrongful death claims, establish a settlement trust to administer present and future tort claims, and then dissolve both debtors.
• The petition indicates funds will be available for distribution to unsecured creditors, a box many wind-down debtors cannot check.
• Uniroyal reached agreement on the plan with an ad hoc group of personal injury and wrongful death claimants before filing, so the tort side arrives largely negotiated.
• The retiree benefit plan at the center of the case has shrunk from roughly 10,000 beneficiaries in 1985 to 140 participants with an average age of 92, and Great Hill Corporation holds a $2.48 million intercompany note maturing July 20, 2028.

What to do now

A dormant holding company on your ledger deserves the same discipline as an operating one, and a consensual plan still leaves you unpaid if you miss the bar date. Review your recovery options as a creditor in Chapter 11 before the plan is confirmed.

1. Search your customer master for Uniroyal Holding, Great Hill Corporation, and any Uniroyal Inc. successor entity, then calendar the bar date in case 26-18668 and file a proof of claim on anything you find. Unsecured creditors get paid on the plan’s timetable, not yours.
2. Notify your trade credit insurer of the filing within your policy’s notification window if any insured balance is involved. What the policy responds to is subject to credit limits, notification requirements, and policy terms in place at the time of the filing.
3. Flag every counterparty in your portfolio that is a holding company with no operating business behind it, the same exposure that RNDC’s wind-down handed its creditors.
4. Contact Securitas Global Risk Solutions to review whether your current coverage responds to a legacy-entity insolvency.

Disclaimer:
This blog post is meant to be informative and provide helpful tips and insights into credit insurance policies. It is not meant to supersede any policy requirements. Please consult your credit insurance policy for all requirements including claim filing deadlines and required documentation.

Since 2004, Securitas Global Risk Solutions, LLC has helped clients develop trade credit and political risk transfer solutions. As an independent brokerage, Securitas is focused on developing comprehensive solutions that meet client needs, ensuring a complete understanding of policy wording and delivering excellent responsive service. If you want to understand how trade credit insurance can protect your business, contact Securitas Global Risk Solutions to speak with a specialist.