More Residents Accuse Lockheed of Negligence
Another group of Burbank residents has taken legal action against Lockheed Martin Corp., alleging that decades of toxic emissions and dumping at a manufacturing plant have caused cancer and other health problems as well as degraded property values.
In a lawsuit filed this week in Burbank Superior Court, more than 500 people living near the aerospace firm’s now defunct B-1 plant alleged that for years Lockheed failed to inform them that it was discharging chromium 6, a known carcinogen, and other chemicals into the air and ground.
The suit alleged Lockheed knew of the dangers posed by the chemicals but covered up the extent to which they were used, and that many residents now suffer health problems as a result of the company’s “negligence.”
“If the plaintiffs’ [doctors] had been informed earlier of such toxic contamination, many of [their] ailments could have been properly diagnosed and treated at the earliest possible stages,” the lawsuit said.
Allan Sigel, a Westwood attorney representing the residents, said many of his clients already have cancer, birth defects, reproductive problems, autoimmune disorders and other illnesses that may have been caused by exposure to Lockheed chemicals.
“It’s just astounding how many of them have suffered some inexplicable medical condition, and many believe it may be due to this chromium 6, which is the major sin in this whole thing,” said Sigel, who recently represented residents of the city of Hinkley, Calif., in a toxic-contamination suit against Pacific Gas and Electric. In that case, PG&E; settled with residents for $333 million, and Sigel said one of his clients received $7 million in damages.
The new lawsuit follows on the heels of an earlier, federal class-action case filed by attorney Patrick Grannan in August. That action sought property and medical damages for a separate group of residents. Unlike the class-action case, Sigel said each plaintiff in his case will be individually named and will have a chance to prove in court what damages they have suffered.
Both cases were filed in response to Lockheed’s out-of-court agreement to pay $60 million to about 1,300 neighbors who claimed health and property damages. The parties involved had agreed to keep that settlement confidential, but terms of the deal were leaked, sparking a public furor and the ensuing lawsuits.
Lockheed Martin has repeatedly said its B-1 plant, which closed in 1990, posed no health risks. A Lockheed spokeswoman Tuesday said the firm had not yet reviewed Sigel’s lawsuit and had no comment.
But Sigel insisted that the company’s previous $60-million settlement is a “tacit admission of responsibility.”
Sigel said he believes as much as half the population of Burbank may have been affected by Lockheed contamination, and he expects that the number of people represented by the lawsuit will climb to about 1,500 or more. He said he expects the claims to be handled through a mediation process rather than in court.
