Clapper, Patti, Schweizer and Mason

Libby, Montana is a small town nestled the Northern Rockies along the beautiful Kootenai River.  Although Libby is a recreational, hunting and fishing paradise, the town is now most famous for being the former home of an asbestos mine, owned and operated by WR Grace.  Vermiculite asbestos, also known under the brand name, Zonolite, has [...]

The name Libby, Montana has become synonymous with asbestos cancer and mesothelioma diagnoses thanks to the town’s history of mining, processing, and distributing natural materials contaminated by the deadly carcinogen asbestos.  For years contaminated vermiculite, a naturally occurring mineral which was once “baked” and then used as insulation, was taken from the ground and [...]

The week marked the beginning of the high-profile trial against W.R. Grace & Co. and five of their executives.  Grace is charged with federal conspiracy of knowingly exposing their workers and residents in Libby, Montana to asbestos, a toxic substance known to cause fatal diseases such as mesothelioma and asbestosis.  They are also charged with obstruction [...]