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Gov’t may join lawsuit
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Posted on May 09 2000
The Attorney General’s Office is exploring the possibility of working with the private lawyers in its planned action to seek damages for any property of the Commonwealth that may have been destroyed as a result of the polychlorinated biphenyl contamination in Tanapag village.
Attorney General Herb D. Soll said a decision will be made soon in consultation with Gov. Pedro P. Tenorio whether or not the planned lawsuit will be handled by private lawyers or not.
Mr. Soll, who met with lawyers Charles S. Siegel and Andy Waters, said his office is also looking at various evidences to support the Commonwealth in making such a decision.
He also attended the meeting of the lawyers with Tanapag residents Monday evening during which the possibility of filing a class action suit against federal agencies and private companies responsible for the contamination of the highly toxic chemical in the village was discussed.
During the public hearing, Mr. Siegel explained the steps to be taken in seeking damages in case the residents decide that they would want to hire their services.
According to Mr. Siegel, the government does have a right to collect damages to natural resources or seek cleanup of the groundwater if it is proven that it has been contaminated with PCB.
While the federal government has already admitted negligence in the spread of PCB contamination and failure to immediately carry out a cleanup, the lawyers admitted that they are faced with the difficult task of proving that the exposure to the toxic chemical has caused damage to people’s health.
“We do not want to give false hopes. We have just scratched the surface in terms of our knowledge. It is a history that does cry out for action,” said Mr. Siegel.
The current medical testing being conducted on the residents will help the lawyers and the residents in gathering more evidence about the PCB contamination.
“There is no doubt in our mind that there is a great deal of PCB exposure here and that the US government was negligent in depositing, management and cleanup of PCB. It is just unconscionable,” Mr. Siegel said.
