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.
BBC Countryfile star Adam Henson's wife wrote heartbreaking goodbye letters after cancer diagnosis
Richmond Mayor Stoney drops Virginia governor bid, he will run for lieutenant governor instead
Cannes 2024: Studio Ghibli takes a bow with an honorary Palme d'Or
No Giannis? No Leonard? No problem just yet for the Bucks and Clippers in the postseason
Tiger Woods FINALLY reveals the three stars joining his TGL team next year
Dodgers acquire pitcher Yohan Ramírez from Mets for cash
Spain reopens a probe into a Pegasus spyware case after a French request to work together
Online reading or offline clubs? Young Chinese embrace both in digital era
Lottie Moss sends temperatures soaring in red semi