Results for: Superfund Cleanup

A jury determined that BNSF Railway contributed to the deaths of two individuals due to asbestos exposure from contaminated vermiculite shipped through the town of Libby, Montana. The jury awarded $4 million each to the plaintiffs’ estates, finding that the asbestos-contaminated vermiculite played a significant role in the illnesses and deaths of the plaintiffs. BNSF did not receive any punitive damages as the jury did not find intentional or indifferent actions on their part. The case is the first of numerous lawsuits against BNSF over its past operations in Libby, where asbestos exposure has resulted in hundreds of deaths and thousands of illnesses.

A federal jury in Montana has found BNSF Railway liable in the deaths of two people who were exposed to asbestos decades ago. The jury awarded $4 million each to the estates of Joyce Walder and Thomas Wells, who died in 2020. The jury determined that asbestos that spilled in the rail yard in Libby, Montana was a substantial factor in the plaintiffs’ illnesses and deaths. BNSF did not act intentionally or with indifference, so there were no punitive damages awarded. The case is the first of several lawsuits against BNSF over its past operations in Libby. Current and former residents accuse the railroad of playing a role in asbestos exposure that has killed several hundred people and sickened thousands.