A trial set for January 2009 was postponed while the parties pursued settlement negotiations, according to court papers filed.
The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Pittsburgh, contended that B&W plants in Apollo and Parks Township, Pennsylvania, exposed people to toxic levels of radiation. BP p.l.c.’s Atlantic Richfield, which had also been sued, settled in 2008 for $27.5 million. The B&W settlement was filed on April 16, 2009.
“The current settlements are reasonable in view of the risks associated with continued litigation of this action,” Daniel Weinstein, a court-appointed mediator, said. Weinstein said that the defendants risked a potentially substantial verdict in trial as high as $1 billion.
