Trial Underway Against Warren Buffett ’s Railway Company

A trial has begun over BNSF Railway’s transporting of asbestos-contaminated vermiculite from mines in Libby, Montana that closed in 1990. Investor and businessman Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Inc. purchased the railway in 2010. BNSF is accused of negligence and wrongful death. The suit claims the railway is responsible for failing to control asbestos-contaminated dust from Libby vermiculite stored in a downtown railyard and then transported through the town to manufacturing plants across the country. BNSF denies any responsibility for asbestos contamination of Libby, according to court filings.  The estates of Thomas Wells and Joyce Walder filed a wrongful death lawsuit against BNSF in 2021. Both Wells and Walder were diagnosed with mesothelioma. The primary cause of mesothelioma is asbestos exposure. Wells died in March 2020 and Walder died in October 2020. Both believed their asbestos exposure occurred while they were in the Libby area. Their suit is one of hundreds of lawsuits filed against BNSF Railway in connection to asbestos in Libby. Arguments Over BNSF’s Responsibility The railway claims its obligation to ship goods to customers exempts it from any liability. However, plaintiffs argue that vermiculite storage in the railyard means the company isn’t exempt.  The trial comes more than 20 years after federal authorities first responded to reports of asbestos-related diseases and deaths in Libby. Hundreds of people have died and...
Source: Asbestos and Mesothelioma News - Category: Environmental Health Authors: Tags: Asbestos (general) Asbestos Exposure Asbestosis Companies Lawsuit Legal Mesothelioma Source Type: news