Case Name: IN RE ASBESTOS LITIGATION, James FLANAGAN, David H. Middleton, Edee Cochran, Esteban Yanez Ortiz, John R. Allgood, Henry William Evers, Lester Eugene Taylor and Safety National Casualty Corporation, Appellants, v. Gerald AHEARN, James McAdams Dennis, Charles W. Jeep, James Drake, Juanita Drake, James Ellison, Roland Dearborn, Judith Dearborn, Kerwin Butcher, Dir., Workers Comp., Director, Office of Workers' Compensation Programs, U.S. Dept. of Labor, Paul Cochran, Ida Beck, Marion Behee, Longshore Intervenor, William James Mitchell, Fibreboard Corporation, Bethlehem Steel Corporation, Continental Casualty Company, Pacific Indemnity, Francis McGovern, Owens-Illinois, Inc., Penn Mutual Life Insurance Company, Columbia Casualty Company, CNA Casualty Company of California, Celotex Corp., Daniel Herman Rudd Jr., on behalf of themselves and others similarly situated, John Hansel, on behalf of themselves and others similarly situated, Appellees
Court: United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
Jurisdiction: United States
Decision Date: 1998-01-27
Citations: 134 F.3d 668
Docket Number: No. 95-40635
Parties: IN RE ASBESTOS LITIGATION, James FLANAGAN, David H. Middleton, Edee Cochran, Esteban Yanez Ortiz, John R. Allgood, Henry William Evers, Lester Eugene Taylor and Safety National Casualty Corporation, Appellants, v. Gerald AHEARN, James McAdams Dennis, Charles W. Jeep, James Drake, Juanita Drake, James Ellison, Roland Dearborn, Judith Dearborn, Kerwin Butcher, Dir., Workers Comp., Director, Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs, U.S. Dept. of Labor, Paul Cochran, Ida Beck, Marion Behee, Longshore Intervenor, William James Mitchell, Fibreboard Corporation, Bethlehem Steel Corporation, Continental Casualty Company, Pacific Indemnity, Francis McGovern, Owens-Illinois, Inc., Penn Mutual Life Insurance Company, Columbia Casualty Company, CNA Casualty Company of California, Celotex Corp., Daniel Herman Rudd Jr., on behalf of themselves and others similarly situated, John Hansel, on behalf of themselves and others similarly situated, Appellees.
Judges: . Before REAVLEY, DAVIS and SMITH, Circuit Judges.
Reporter: Federal Reporter 3d Series
Volume: 134
Pages: 668–683

Head Matter:
IN RE ASBESTOS LITIGATION, James FLANAGAN, David H. Middleton, Edee Cochran, Esteban Yanez Ortiz, John R. Allgood, Henry William Evers, Lester Eugene Taylor and Safety National Casualty Corporation, Appellants, v. Gerald AHEARN, James McAdams Dennis, Charles W. Jeep, James Drake, Juanita Drake, James Ellison, Roland Dearborn, Judith Dearborn, Kerwin Butcher, Dir., Workers Comp., Director, Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs, U.S. Dept. of Labor, Paul Cochran, Ida Beck, Marion Behee, Longshore Intervenor, William James Mitchell, Fibreboard Corporation, Bethlehem Steel Corporation, Continental Casualty Company, Pacific Indemnity, Francis McGovern, Owens-Illinois, Inc., Penn Mutual Life Insurance Company, Columbia Casualty Company, CNA Casualty Company of California, Celotex Corp., Daniel Herman Rudd Jr., on behalf of themselves and others similarly situated, John Hansel, on behalf of themselves and others similarly situated, Appellees.
No. 95-40635.
United States Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit.
Jan. 27, 1998.
Leonard C. Jaques, Michael J. Connor, Jaques Admiralty Law Firm, Detroit, MI, for Flanagan and Middleton.
Elihu Inselbuch, Charles Sanders McNew, Caplin & Drysdale, Chartered, New York City, Steven Kazan, Kazen, McClain, Edises, Simon & Abrams, Oakland, CA, for Ahearn, Dennis, Jeep, Ellison and Mitchell.
Joseph F. Rice, Ness, Motley, Loadholt, Richardson & Poole, Charleston, SC, Peter Van Lockwood, Caplin & Drysdale, Chartered, Washington, DC, Joseph B. Cox, Jr., Cox & Cox, Sullivan’s Island, SC, for Abearn, Dennis, Jeep and Ellison.
Harry Fred Wartnick, Wartnick, Chuber, Harowitz, Smith & Tigerman, San Francisco, CA, Eric D. Green, Boston, MA, for Abeam, Dennis and Jeep.
Bruce L. Ahnfeldt, Napa, CA, for Juanita Drake.
Clinton A. Krislov, Krislov & Associates, Chicago, IL, Ronald W. Lupton, Stinson, Lupton & Weiss, Bath, ME, for Roland and Judith Dearborn, Butcher and Longshore In-tervenor.
Michael Scott Hertzig, Washington, DC, for Dir., Workers Comp., Director, Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs, U.S. Dept, of Labor.
Frederick M. Baron, Dallas, TX, for Paul and Edee Cochran, Beck, Behee, Allgood, Evers and Taylor.
Stephen M. Snyder, Kelly C. Wooster, William R. Irwin, James L. Miller, Brobeck, Phleger & Harrison, San Francisco, CA, for Fibreboard Corp.
Herbert Maurice Wachtell, Meyer G. Ko-plow, Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, New York City, Donald T. Ramsey, David M. Rice, Rodney L. Eshelman, Carroll, Burdick & McDonough, San Francisco, CA, for Continental Cas. Co., Columbia Cas. Co. and CNA Cas. Co. of Cal.
Billy Glynn Parker, Ireland, Carroll & Kelley, Tyler, TX, for Continental Cas. Co.
Paul J. Bschorr, Richard B. Sypher, Dewey Ballantine, New York City, for Pacific Indem.
Richard L. Josephson, Baker & Botts, Houston, TX, Robert B. Shaw, Nelson, Mullins, Riley & Scarborough, L.L.P., Columbia, SC, for Owens-Illinois, Inc.
Gary A. Bresee, Barger & Wolen, San Francisco, CA, for Penn Mut. Life Ins. Co.
Stuart Philip Ross, Ross, Dixon & Mas-back, Washington, DC, for Columbia Cas. Co. and CNA Cas. Co. of Cal.
Charles P. Sehropp, Schropp, Buell & Elli-gett, Tampa, FL, for Celotex Corp.
Anne W. Bloom, Arthur H. Bryant, Trial Lawyers for Public Justice, Washington, DC, for Trial Lawyers for Public Justice, amicus curiae.
Jeffrey Robert White, Pamela A. Liapakis, Associated Trial Lawyers of America, Washington, DC, for Association of Trial Lawyers of America, amicus curiae.
James L. Kimble, Craig A. Berrington, David F. Snyder, American Ins. Ass’n, Washington, DC, for American Ins. Ass’n, amicus curiae.
Scott McCullen Baldwin, Baldwin & Baldwin, Marshall, TX, for Asbestos Victims of America, amicus curiae.
Brent M. Rosenthal, Steve Dan Baugh-man, Baron & Budd, Dallas, TX, Sidney Katherine Powell, Powell & Associates, Dallas, TX, S. Ann Saucer, Dallas, TX, for Edee Cochran, Ortiz, Allgood, Evers and Taylor.
Andrew K. Epting, Jr., Wise, Pratt-Thomas, Pearce, Epting & Walker, Charleston, SC, Roy L. Stacy, Dennis D. Conder, Dallas, TX, for Safety Nat. Cas. Corp.
. Before REAVLEY, DAVIS and SMITH, Circuit Judges.

Opinion:
PER CURIAM:
In our prior opinion, we affirmed the judgment below, which approved class action settlements of asbestos-related claims involving Fibreboard Corporation. In re Asbestos Litigation, 90 F.3d 963 (5th Cir.1996), vacated, - U.S. -, 117 S.Ct. 2503, 138 L.Ed.2d 1008 (1997). The Supreme Court vacated our judgment and remanded the case for reconsideration in light of Amchem Products, Inc. v. Windsor, —- U.S. -, 117 S.Ct. 2231, 138 L.Ed.2d 689 (1997). After oral argument and reconsideration, we can find nothing in the Amchem opinion that changes our prior decision. We again affirm.
There are two controlling differences between this ease and Amchem. First, this class action proceeded under Rule 23(b)(1); Amchem was a Rule 23(b)(3) case. Second, there was no allocation or difference in award, according to nature or severity of injury, in the present case as there was in Amchem; in the case here all members of the future claimant class are treated alike. Individual damage awards will subsequently be decided according to individual damages.
The district court made extensive findings and found, specifically, that separate actions by members of the class would create a risk of adjudications with respect to individual members of the class which would as a practical matter be dispositive of the interests of the other members not parties to the adjudications or substantially impair or impede their ability to protect their interests. The language of the district court matches the language of Rule 23(b)(1)(B). No one has contested that finding of the district court, probably because it is incontestable.
The Supreme Court stated in Amchem that a settlement class action, like all federal class actions, cannot proceed unless the requirements of Rule 23(a) are met, irrespective of whether the proposed settlement is deemed fair under Rule 23(e). We detailed in our prior opinion our agreement with the thorough study and conclusions by the district court, satisfying the requirements of class certification under Rule 23(a). All members of the class, and all class representatives, share the common interests: suffering harm from asbestos exposure and seeking equitable distribution of compensation from limited funds. None of the uncommon questions, abounding in Amchem, exist in the present ease.
The only conflict between members of the future claimant class could be competition for larger and earlier shares of available money, but that is precisely the reason for Rule 23(b)(1)(B) and the problem it is designed to solve where the money is limited. That conflict or competition is controlled for the benefit of all members of the class. It follows that the lawyer representing the class serves only common interests of the class.
The judgment of the district court is
AFFIRMED.