How PCB contamination lawsuits in Washington could affect plaintiffs in Vermont

BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) – As two former Burlington Excessive Faculty educators search to sue a PCB producer in a brand new federal lawsuit filed earlier this month, related circumstances are unfolding on the opposite aspect of the nation. And people lawsuits might assist the plaintiffs in Vermont win their case.

Monday, a Washington-based regulation agency went to trial for its sixth of 21 lawsuits alleging college students and oldsters at a neighborhood college suffered mind accidents from publicity to PCBs, and the PCB producer Monsanto is responsible.

Greater than 200 college students, dad and mom and academics from a Monroe public college say they had been poisoned by the poisonous chemical.

Of the 5 circumstances which have concluded thus far, the plaintiffs have received 4.

Richard Friedman of the agency Friedman Rubin is the lead legal professional on every of the 21 lawsuits. Within the first 4 verdicts, the juries have awarded his shoppers a mixed half a billion {dollars} in compensatory and punitive damages.

In Vermont, two former BHS educators and one among their spouses argue that PCB publicity precipitated reproductive issues and cognitive points.

Friedman says the verdicts in Washington State Court docket might lay the groundwork and set the precedent for the three plaintiffs in Vermont to show their diseases are linked to PCB publicity at BHS.

“That’s what we’re hoping, is sufficient verdicts will finally both trigger Monsanto to vary its place and truly attempt to begin serving to individuals as an alternative of stonewalling or get state legislators and college boards and others to make the sorts of choices that must be made to get these things out of colleges. I imply, it’s a tragedy,” Friedman stated.

Following the 4 verdicts, Monsanto has explicitly denied culpability and plans to attraction every determination.

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