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"Supreme Court Upholds Sunburst’s $15M Award" August 13, 2007 Three years ago the Cascade County District Court awarded Sunburst School District No. 2 and 90 other private property owners, $15 million for damages caused by a local refinery owned by Texaco, Inc. Early last week, the Montana Supreme Court finalized the award and closed the case. Suits Filed Against Texaco Six years ago the Sunburst School District and local residents filed two suits against Texaco, Inc. They were hoping to seek compensation for the damages caused by the benzene exposure they were experiencing on their properties. The suit also mentioned the health concerns residents had since the gas leak that occurred in the 1950's. Although Texaco claimed they cleaned up more than 180,000 gallons from the ground underneath Sunburst, residents believed they hadn't done an efficient job and the area was still contaminated. Case In Question When the suit was first filed, the High Court affirmed the $15 million award for damages and reversed the $25 million award for punitive damages. Court Justice Brian Morris cited the district court's erroneous decision to exclude important information from the Department of Environmental Quality that could have shed light on whether Texaco, as a company, acted with malice. Many other Supreme Court Justices agreed with Morris and the case was brought back to the district court for a new trial. (Source: Shelby Promoter) Have you or someone you love been the victim of benzene exposure? If so, please contact us today to speak with a professional benzene attorney who will enable you to be compensated for your losses. Click here for more Benzene News...
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