Union Carbide Sued by India for Disaster

The government of India filed suit today against the Union Carbide Corp. seeking unspecified damages for the December chemical leak that killed more than 2,000 people and injured tens of thousands of others in the city of Bhopal.

The suit in U.S. District Court in Manhattan said that “because of the enormity of the Bhopal disaster, plaintiff is not currently able” to specify a dollar amount on the damages. A number of American lawyers, however, have filed separate suits seeking an estimated $15 billion in damages for Bhopal victims.

The suit asks the U.S. court to award punitive damages “in an amount sufficient to deter Union Carbide or any other multinational corporation from the willful, malicious and wanton disregard of the rights and safety of the citizens of those countries in which they do business.”

The suit charges Union Carbide with designing the plant negligently and with misrepresenting the safety of the facility.

It maintains that the Danbury, Conn.-based corporation is ultimately responsible for the accident, though the plant was operated by an Indian subsidiary of which Union Carbide held 50.9% ownership.