Further Delays In Grace Trial Denied By Judge -- MesoLink.org -- 06-16-06

Following a request by defense attorneys for another delay in the pending W.R. Grace trial, a federal judge has denied the request refusing to sanction a further delay. The trial is over the allegations that executives from the company tried to conceal environmental dangers and health risks after the vermiculite processing plant in Libby was closed.

The defense team has already had 18 months to prepare for the trial, and the U.S. Judge Donald Molloy has stated that this is perfectly adequate. The trial is due to commence on September 11th, 2006 as things stand at the moment.

Molloy stated: ‘‘Most defendants are given no more than 70 days to prepare, even in complex, multi-defendant cases. It is a rare case that requires ... a year for preparation. I allotted a year and a half. ... The purpose in doing so was to ensure that the schedule, and the trial date, would weather any delays brought on by the logistical challenge of processing a huge volume of information and the procedural wrangling that naturally occurs in a case involving eight defendants and dozens of lawyers.’’

Defense attorneys had wanted to delay the trial for between four and six months, claiming that there were millions of documents that needed to be reviewed prior to the case.