UM Grace Case

W.R. Grace’s letter to the Environmental Protection Agency advising against a public health emergency for Zonolite attic insulation did not constitute obstruction of justice, Grace lead defense attorney David Bernick argued during the testimony of defense witness William Corcoran.
Corcoran, who has worked as Grace’s vice president of public and regulatory affairs since 1999, testified [...]

After a week-long break, the W.R. Grace trial resumed at a fast pace on Wednesday, April 8. The three days of court saw discussion of past witness Robert Locke’s potential perjury, a procession of government witnesses, and direct criticism of the government’s methods by Judge Donald Molloy.
Before one juror entered the courtroom on Wednesday, [...]

W.R. Grace used data sheets to warn of asbestos content in its industrial products before government regulations required them to do so, Grace defense attorney David Bernick said during his morning cross-examination of Steve Venuti, an industrial hygienist and former toxicology coordinator for Grace.
Bernick built up his cross-examination to show that Grace began using [...]

Before the jury entered this morning, Judge Donold Molloy  announced that several pieces of the prosecution’s evidence would not be admitted. Documents 296A, 293A, 437A, and 437B will not be admitted, documents which involved a study on asbestos exposure. Molloy said they were intended for use during Locke’s testimony.
The documents were a description of [...]

Robert Locke thought that W.R. Grace’s tests on hamsters exposed to asbestos were “a snore,” defense attorney David Bernick said during his continued cross-examination of Locke. Bernick referred to a Society of Occupational Health Conference which focused on asbestos’ dangers to humans, “people news” which was much more captivating than Grace’s presentation on the hamster [...]

The court took a short break until about 10:35 a.m., when voir dire resumed. A hodgepodge of varied potential jurors appeared before Judge Molloy. Several had backgrounds in science. One man said he works in lending with customers in Libby, Mont., and said it would be difficult for him to rule against the government’s [...]