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LAWSUITS NEWS & LEGAL INFORMATION

Record Settlement

This is a settlement for the Asbestos Mesothelioma lawsuit.

Libby, MT: (Mar-12-08) The US Department of Justice (DOJ) and the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) brought charges against W.R. Grace, that filed for bankruptcy protection in 2001 because of asbestos poisoning claims. The global chemical company allegedly owed money for the federal cleanup of a Superfund site. The DOJ stated that the agency along with the EPA has been removing asbestos-contaminated soils and other materials in and near Libby, MT since May 2000.

The suit against W.R. Grace was filed in March 2001, mostly seeking to recover monies spent by the government in its investigation and cleanup costs under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA), commonly known as the "Superfund" law. Records show that in earlier verdicts in 2003, the federal district court in Montana awarded EPA more than $54 million for cleanup costs incurred by EPA through Dec. 31, 2001.

The lawsuit also named Kootenai Development Corporation, a Grace subsidiary, as a defendant due to its ownership of three contaminated properties in Libby. Grace, headquartered in Columbia, MD, owned and operated a vermiculite mine and processing facilities in and near Libby from 1963 to 1990. The vermiculite ore was contaminated with asbestos. Experts have shown that asbestos is a recognized human carcinogen, known to cause lung cancer and mesothelioma, a lethal tumor in the lining of the chest and abdominal cavities.

As part of a settlement reached in the recent claims, sources said that the now bankrupt company has agreed to pay the federal government $250 million, making it one of the biggest payouts in the history of the Superfund program. Federal officials said that the money will be used to reimburse the government for the costs of the investigation and cleanup of asbestos contamination around its mining operations in Libby.


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Published on Mar-13-08


READER COMMENTS

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I filed 2 claims for me and my son. I was restoring a older house that was my grandparents. Read on internet that vermiculite was a safe insulation. So, I started knocking the plaster off and the vermiculite was in the walls and ceiling. I put the vermiculite in bags as I was renovating the house. A while later I read where the vermiculite was unsafe and there was a class action lawsuit. I have pictures of the renovation and you can see all the vermiculite that was in the house. There was a lot. Haven't heard anything in years about compensation for homeowners. I read something about Government getting money for their investigation or something.
I spent a year getting that vermiculite out thinking it was safe. Hopefully me and my son don't have any health issues later in life.

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