HELENA, Mont. (AP) — A federal jury on Monday said BNSF Railway contributed to the deaths of two people who were exposed to asbestos decades ago when tainted mining material was shipped through a Montana town where thousands have been sickened.
The jury awarded $4 million each in compensatory damages to the estates of the two plaintiffs, who died in 2020. Jurors said asbestos that spilled in the rail yard in the town of Libby, Montana was a substantial factor in the plaintiffs’ illnesses and death.
The jury did not find that BNSF acted intentionally or with indifference so there will be no punitive damages awarded. Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Inc. acquired BNSF in 2010, two decades after the vermiculite mine in Libby shut down and stopped shipping its contaminated product by rail.
The pollution in Libby has been cleaned up, largely at public expense. Yet the long timeframe over which asbestos-related diseases develop means people previously exposed are likely to continue getting sick for years to come, health officials say.
Seattle Kraken GM Ron Francis leaves open possibility of changes after team misses playoffs
PLA Eastern Theater Command launches unprecedented live
China's old industrial base makes headway on revitalization
Xi Signs Order to Commend Outstanding Military Units, Individuals
Nets hire Jordi Fernandez as coach. Fernandez was Kings' associate head coach for two years
Comicomment: Who is inciting instability in South China Sea?
Xi Focus: Xi Calls for Striving to Realize Economic Goals in 2023
Top procuratorate reports legal oversight work in 2023
Big on barbecue, Zibo's star shines
Danny Mendick recalled, John Brebbia activated by struggling White Sox
U.S. advisory regarding China travel 'makes no sense'