High court lets agent orange settlement stand

Abstract

With final legal roadblocks removed by the Supreme Court, some Vietnam veterans can look forward to receiving compensation for exposure to agent orange during their tours there. On June 30, the justices declined to hear objections to a May 1984 settlement between most veterans seeking compensation for agent orange exposure and the seven chemical companies that manufactured the herbicide during the war. This was the last of several challenges to the settlement. Under the original settlement, the companies agreed to a $180 million compensation figure. But compound interest has raised that total to about $240 million. The plaintiffs wanted to continue their suit against the companies. But the high court let stand a lower court ruling that the companies were immune from further liability in this instance. About 2400 veterans chose not to take part in the original settlement, but they are eligible to receive benefits from the fund. Judge Jack B. Weinstein ...