The owner and operator of a Maryland hazardous waste transporter pleaded guilty to knowingly making false statements in connection with the improper disposal of waste materials that contained asbestos.Terrance Yates, owner and operator of Hazport Solutions Inc. pleaded guilty on Monday in U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency determined that the company falsified information on waste shipment records about the disposal of asbestos-containing materials.From August 2004 through July 2006, Yates contracted with at least five hazardous waste removal companies to transport 12 to 17 trailers full of asbestos-containing waste materials from cleanup sites in Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia to an EPA-approved landfill. Some of the bags had been damaged, and loose debris that contained asbestos was found in the trailers. In addition, approximately 100 bags of asbestos material were discovered on the ground near the trailers at
A Los Angeles jury has ordered a New Jersey engineering and construction firm to pay $5.2 million in an asbestos exposure case, determining the company acted with malice.The verdict in Los Angeles County Superior Court ordered Foster Wheeler Corp. to pay the survivors of Richard Walmach, a career naval machinist who died in 2006 after being diagnosed with mesothelioma, a cancer related to asbestos exposure.Walmach died after filing the suit, which claimed the company failed to disclose asbestos risks. The company is a longtime supplier of boilers, steam generators and other power equipment to the U.S. Navy.The firm has faced 20 other asbestos-related suits and been found liable for $100 million in general damages, but this was the first time it was ordered to pay punitive damages, said lead plaintiff's attorney Sean P. Tracey.Of the $5.2 million total award, $2 million was for punitive damages. An attorney for Foster Wheeler said a motion was pending before the judge challenging juris
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency reached a $20,000 settlement with a construction consultant for violating federal regulations governing asbestos removal from buildings in Hayward, Calif. in 2000.The construction consultant, Timothy Chu Construction Consulting Services, is paying a penalty of $20,000. Settlements were previously reached with the building owner, Cheng, Chow and Chu, Inc, for $149,000 and the construction company, Sincere Construction, for $1,500. The asbestos removal was also the subject of a criminal investigation which resulted in a plea agreement under which the building owner Clifford Cheng served four months under house arrest and paid a $5,000 criminal penalty.“This case was particularly important because of the large amounts of asbestos and the delay in mitigating the problem,” said Deborah Jordan, director of the Air Division in the EPA’s Pacific Southwest region. “We are pleased that all responsible parties were held accountable, and acknowledge
By Greg Cima
gcima@pantagraph.com
BLOOMINGTON -- A McLean County jury awarded $850,000 to a widow whose husband died of mesothelioma.
It was the third McLean County lawsuit in 14 months won by plaintiffs accusing a company of conspiring to hide asbestos dangers. The jury awards in the three lawsuits against Honeywell International Inc. ...
