Judge Reverses Decision in Breast Implant Suit

A federal judge ruled that women opposed to a $3.2-billion settlement over silicone breast implants may not sue Dow Corning Corp.’s corporate parents, reversing a bankruptcy judge’s opinion that negotiators said crippled the deal. The ruling by U.S. District Judge Denise Page Hood set aside federal Bankruptcy Judge Arthur Spector’s opinion last December, which the settlement’s backers complained changed pivotal terms of the deal he approved weeks earlier. Barring additional appeals, Hood’s ruling sets the stage for the case’s claimants to begin receiving compensation, Dow Corning spokesman T. Michael Jackson said. A lawyer who was among those fighting the settlement’s no-lawsuit release said more appeals are planned. Dow Corning is a 50-50 joint venture between Dow Chemical Co. and Corning Inc.--was prepared to begin paying claimants if Spector’s opinion was reversed.