UNITED STATES vs.
The WR GRACE CO.
February trial date set in government case against Libby asbestos titan

WR Grace and Co. trial slated for February, 2009.

October 28, 2008 -- Jury selection is set to begin February 19, the date that will mark the beginning of what will be the largest environmental criminal trial in U.S. history – the trial against The W.R. Grace Co. and six of its executives on charges of knowingly endangering the lives of thousands of people with asbestos-tainted ore from its vermiculite mine in Libby, Montana.

“This is one of the most significant criminal indictments for environmental crime in our history,” said Lori Hanson, head of the EPA’s environmental crime section in Denver.

The trial, to be held in Missoula, Mont., will begin the first week after jury selection and is expected to last four months. It is centered on a 49-page indictment listing 10 specific criminal counts of conspiracy, knowing endangerment, obstruction of justice and wire fraud.

The issue is over what mine executives knew about the deadly health hazards of asbestos-tainted ore while instructing company personnel to process it into products used for insulation, fireproofing and gardening. The government alleges that company managers, with an eye on the profit line, conspired to hide the truth about the health risks from employees.

The government’s investigation began when the Seattle P-I published a series of articles in 1999 that showed managers knowingly kept health facts about asbestos from employees. The government will identify hundreds of asbestos-related deaths in the small town of Libby, where some workers tracked asbestos dust into their homes and unknowingly exposed family members to fatal disease.

If convicted, maximum prison sentences for the executives could range between 55 to 70 years, while Grace could be fined $280 million, which represents twice the company’s after-tax profits, the Seattle P-I reports.

Time to seek justice!

Government sources estimate that in the next decade more than 35,000 people nationwide will be diagnosed with the deadliest form of asbestos-related cancer, mesothelioma. This disease is most often the result of industrial workplace exposure to asbestos – and usually contracted through employers’ blatant disregard for health and safety.

That’s why people diagnosed with mesothelioma and their family members have strong cases in court. If you have a mesothelioma injury, please complete the form on this page for a free evaluation of your legal rights. There is no cost to you until we win a settlement or a verdict.

Weitz & Luxenberg has protected the legal rights of workers for 25 years – longer than most law firms in the nation. And in that time its attorneys have won billions of dollars in verdicts and settlements for its clients.