Asbestos-Case Settlement Wins Federal Judge’s Approval
A federal district judge has approved a $200 million property-damage settlement between most of the nation’s school districts and several major asbestos manufacturers. The approval ends more than a decade of litigation.
In a ruling this month, Judge James Gilas called the settlement reached last year, under which the money is to be divided among more than 15,000 districts, “fair, reasonable, and adequate.” (See Education Week, Nov. 9, 1994.)
The districts sued 50 asbestos companies in 1983, seeking reimbursements for millions of dollars the districts spent removing the hazardous material from schools. School-finance experts estimate the cost of removal has exceeded $3 billion.
