However I do get alot of searches so here are a few more tidbits...
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Grace Got Asbestos Warnings 30 Years Ago, Jury Told
March 24 (Bloomberg) -- A former W.R. Grace & Co. executive testified he warned his superiors more than 30 years ago about asbestos contamination in vermiculite from a Montana mine and feared it might lead to criminal prosecution.
Robert Locke, an ex-global vice president of Grace’s construction products division, testified yesterday as a government witness in a trial in Missoula, Montana, after being warned by the judge that he might incriminate himself in the crime the company is accused of.
“Maybe this is a real terminal problem,” Locke recalled telling his onetime boss, Harry Brown, after company tests in 1976 showed vermiculite ore from Libby, Montana, shed asbestos fibers no matter what was done to prevent it.
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“The asbestos just kept coming out,” Locke said.
The government showed the jury a memo circulated to several top Grace officials in January 1977 outlining possible repercussions the company faced from Libby vermiculite. “Bad publicity” was one. Another was “criminal action.”
The government showed the jury a memo circulated to several top Grace officials in January 1977 outlining possible repercussions the company faced from Libby vermiculite. “Bad publicity” was one. Another was “criminal action.”
Locke said he learned of the government’s environmental- crimes investigation in 2004. “I saw a black Crown Vic with government plates at the curb,” he said. Three federal prosecutors knocked on his door to question him about Grace’s operations in Libby, a town in northwestern Montana.
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“I was concerned about my own criminal liability,” Locke said. Still, he led prosecutors to the Grace files he’d tucked away in cigar boxes and elsewhere in his basement. He said he took the documents shortly before leaving the company in 1998, fearing he would need them in case of a lawsuit.
“I was concerned about my own criminal liability,” Locke said. Still, he led prosecutors to the Grace files he’d tucked away in cigar boxes and elsewhere in his basement. He said he took the documents shortly before leaving the company in 1998, fearing he would need them in case of a lawsuit.
Former Executives
W.R. Grace, the bankrupt chemical and construction- materials company based in Columbia, Maryland, and five of its former executives are charged with conspiring to expose Libby residents to asbestos-contaminated vermiculite, hiding the dangers and obstructing a government cleanup.
All the defendants in the case have pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Vermiculite is a mineral used in insulation, fireproofing and potting soil. When contaminated with asbestos, it can cause lung diseases including cancer.
Grace filed for bankruptcy protection in 2001 because of liability for asbestos products, most of which was unrelated to the alleged Libby contamination.
Trial Interrupted
The trial was interrupted yesterday by a juror’s illness. Locke resumed testifying today.
Locke, who also served as chief technical officer of Grace’s construction products division, left the company on bad terms and subsequently filed civil lawsuits that are still pending against Grace and defendant Robert Bettacchi, Grace’s one-time senior vice president, he testified.
Seeking to head off objections from the defense that Locke was biased against Grace, Assistant U.S. Attorney Kris McLean made it clear that Locke had been offered immunity in exchange for his testimony, and declined it, against the advice of his lawyer.
“I didn’t want it,” Locke explained, under questioning from McLean.
“Have you been cautioned that what you say here could be used in some pursuit of criminal charges?” asked presiding U.S. District Judge Donald Molloy.
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“I have been advised,” Locke answered.
‘Train Wreck’
“I have been advised,” Locke answered.
‘Train Wreck’
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Locke filled in the details of a series of Grace meetings and memos concerning Libby vermiculite and its propensity to release dangerous asbestos into the air when it is disturbed.
Locke filled in the details of a series of Grace meetings and memos concerning Libby vermiculite and its propensity to release dangerous asbestos into the air when it is disturbed.
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Please Read the Rest of the Article at the Above Link.
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WR Grace is an Evil Company, I watched Erin Brockovich again today and I must say W.R. Grace sure does top this one.. These people suffered for decades needlessly and this Corporation that Montana, that Lincoln County Officials let come in here and give us those all important jobs.
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They killed our people in a horribly and tortorous way and there seems to be no remorse. And they KNEW the Dangers...
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The Cruelty Continues... Don't Forget to Wonder - To Think about
what Lincoln County Officials knew and kept from you and what the State of Montana, that got Clean Up Funds, what they knew 30 years ago and let happen to our beloved family.
what Lincoln County Officials knew and kept from you and what the State of Montana, that got Clean Up Funds, what they knew 30 years ago and let happen to our beloved family.
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They Knew.... Plain and Simple
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You Pay The Price
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and History Repeats.
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