Judge OKs Agent Orange Settlement

A judge gave final approval Monday to a $180-million settlement of a suit by thousands of Vietnam veterans who contended they suffered from the effects of Agent Orange, granting $9.2 million in fees to their attorneys.

Left undecided, however, was how the veterans and their families would divide the money.

U.S. District Judge Jack B. Weinstein said the $180 million was sufficient to settle the case and that he has been convinced that “a viable plan for distribution of the fund is possible.”

The attorneys will be paid from interest that has accrued on the fund, leaving the principal untouched, he said.

Agent Orange was sprayed by American pilots over thousands of acres of Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War to clear crops and foliage that provided communist insurgents with food and cover.

Much of Agent Orange was contaminated with a highly toxic form of dioxin. In 1978, veterans and their families began filing thousands of lawsuits against manufacturers blaming Agent Orange for disorders ranging from skin rash to cancer. The suits--against Dow Chemical, Diamond Shamrock, Uniroyal, Hercules, Monsanto, Thompson Chemical and T. H. Agriculture & Nutrition--were consolidated into the class action.

About 150,000 veterans have filed claims for payment so far, Weinstein said. The deadline for filing is Jan. 15.