(Libby – AP) A federal jury on Monday said BNSF Railway contributed to the deaths of two people who were exposed to asbestos decades ago when tainted mining material was shipped through a Montana town where thousands have been sickened.
The jury awarded 4 million dollars each in compensatory damages to the estates of the two plaintiffs, who died in 2020. Jurors said asbestos-contaminated vermiculite that spilled in the rail yard in the town of Libby, Montana was a substantial factor in the plaintiffs’ illnesses and deaths.
The jury did not find that BNSF acted intentionally or with indifference, so no punitive damages were awarded.
The railroad was considering whether to appeal, said a BNSF spokesperson, who referred to it as a “very sad case.”
