HELENA, Mont. (AP) — BNSF Railway attorneys are expected to argue before jurors Friday that the railroad should not be held liable for the lung cancer deaths of two former residents of an asbestos-contaminated Montana town, one of the deadliest sites in the federal Superfund pollution program.
Attorneys for the company say the corporate predecessors of the railroad, owned by Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway conglomerate, didn’t know the vermiculite they hauled over decades from a nearby mine was filled with hazardous microscopic asbestos fibers.
The case in federal civil court over the two deaths is the first of numerous lawsuits against the Texas-based railroad corporation to reach trial over its past operations in Libby, Montana. Current and former residents of the small town near the U.S.-Canada border want BNSF held accountable for its alleged role in asbestos exposure that health officials say has killed several hundred people and sickened thousands.
Survival expert reveals what to do if you fall OVERBOARD on a cruise ship
Chinese Women's Federation Issues Evidence Guide on Domestic Violence
People Visit Lantern Show in Xinjiang
First National Family Education Publicity Week Launched
Tennis umpire banned for life for manipulating scores and gambling
Senior CPC official attends meeting on planning of Beijing's development
State Councilor Stresses Stable Employment, Supporting Women's Entrepreneurship
China Launches Women Volunteers' Service Campaign
Amanda Holden reveals a huge secret about THAT nude appearance on her Heart FM breakfast show
National Campaign on Caring for Children in Winter Vacation Launched
Hackers claim Belarus fertilizer plant infiltrated to demand political prisoner release
For a Shared Dream Exhibition Opens in Beijing