Judge won't dismiss Seattle's suit against Monsanto over PCB cleanup
A federal judge has refused to dismiss a lawsuit filed last year by the city of Seattle against Monsanto to make the company pay for the cleanup of toxic PCBs from the city’s drainage system and the Duwamish River.
U.S. District Judge Robert Lasnik, in denying Monsanto’s motion to dismiss the case, said the city’s claim “plausibly alleges that Monsanto knew that its chemical products were toxic, yet chose not to modify its toxic chemical products, or to warn of their toxicity, in order to maximize its profits.”
Monsanto was the sole producer of PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls) for commercial use in the United States from 1935 to 1977, and continued to profit from their sale for years even as its officials knew the chemicals were polluting the environment, causing harm to people and wildlife, according to pleadings filed by the city’s contract attorneys.
They sued last year, and Monsanto moved to dismiss the lawsuit.
Read more: http://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/environment/judge-wont-dismiss-seattles-suit-against-monsanto-over-pcb-cleanup/