2 SUITS FILED IN FIELD LAB TESTS.Byline: David R. Baker Daily News Staff Writer Adding to the swirl of litigation An action brought in court to enforce a particular right. The act or process of bringing a lawsuit in and of itself; a judicial contest; any dispute. When a person begins a civil lawsuit, the person enters into a process called litigation. surrounding a local aerospace giant, two new lawsuits claim Rocketdyne poisoned the earth and water near its facilities and increased the risk that neighbors will contract cancer. The suits, filed Tuesday in Van Nuys Superior Court, allege that Boeing Co.'s Rocketdyne Division improperly disposed of toxic chemicals that then leached into the soil and groundwater near its local facilities. One of the suits even blames the deaths of four area residents on the contamination. Along with punitive damages Monetary compensation awarded to an injured party that goes beyond that which is necessary to compensate the individual for losses and that is intended to punish the wrongdoer. , one of the complaints - a class-action suit Noun 1. class-action suit - a lawsuit brought by a representative member of a large group of people on behalf of all members of the group class action intended to cover everyone living in the contaminated contaminated, v 1. made radioactive by the addition of small quantities of radioactive material. 2. made contaminated by adding infective or radiographic materials. 3. an infective surface or object. area - demands that the company create a fund for medical testing and treating of residents who may have been affected by the chemicals. ``They've been polluting this place for 40 years and getting away with it "Getting Away With It" was the first single released by the English band Electronic, which comprised Bernard Sumner of New Order, ex-Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr, and guesting vocalist Neil Tennant of Pet Shop Boys. ,'' said Edward Sheehan, a Simi Valley Simi Valley (sē`mē, sĭm`ē), city (1990 pop. 100,217), Ventura co., SW Calif. in an oil, fruit, and farm region; laid out 1887, inc. 1969. resident taking part in one of the suits. Sheehan last year had surgery for cancer of the esophagus, which he attributes to drinking water drinking water supply of water available to animals for drinking supplied via nipples, in troughs, dams, ponds and larger natural water sources; an insufficient supply leads to dehydration; it can be the source of infection, e.g. leptospirosis, salmonellosis, or of poisoning, e.g. tainted by chemicals from Rocketdyne's Santa Susana Field Laboratory in the nearby hills. ``I believe definitely that I've been injured by drinking this water,'' he said. Boeing spokesman Dan Beck said he could not comment on a pending lawsuit, as a matter of company policy. He said, however, that tests of groundwater contamination have found some chemicals leaching off site from the field lab. But the contamination has been limited to a narrow strip of land along the property's northern border, Beck said. ``We have found nothing in our sampling and monitoring programs that shows a health threat in the area surrounding the Santa Susana facility,'' he said. The lawsuits are just the latest in a string of legal complaints against the company. Similar suits were filed in March and September of this year. The suits filed Tuesday allege that improper storage and disposal of solvents used at the facility allowed the chemicals to seep into the nearby soil and groundwater, increasing the risk of cancer for people nearby. Lawyer Edward Masry, who filed the suits, said soil and water samples taken off-site show contamination in the soil, groundwater and portions of the Los Angeles River The Los Angeles River is an intermittent river flowing through Los Angeles County, California, from Canoga Park in the west end of the San Fernando Valley, 51 miles (82 km) southeast to its mouth in Long Beach. . Masry said the exact amount of damages sought has not yet been decided. Sheehan, who has lived in the neighborhood 14 years, said he isn't interested in getting money from the suit. At 69, he doesn't have too much use for it, he said. ``I want to see that the children who follow me won't have to drink and bathe in this garbage,'' he said. |
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