Friday’s arguments in the class-action lawsuit against DuPont and New York-based T.L. Diamond & Co. mark the end of the first phase of what could be a four-part trial. Both sides attempted to discredit each other’s expert witnesses in the lawsuit which alleges that DuPont and Diamond dumped arsenic, cadmium and lead on the site of a former plant. The plaintiffs are seeking long-term medical monitoring, property damages, and punitive damages paid to thousands of people in and around Spelter, W. Va. Environmental expert witnesses testified on testing methods, comparison standards, and dangers to humans. According to BusinessWeek.com:
An attorney for some of the residents said the former zinc-smelting plant left “a big cancerous tumor” in a small West Virginia community, and DuPont should be required not only to clean up the mess but also to monitor the health of the people living around it.
Defense attorneys, however, say there is no evidence to support that claim, and DuPont capped the site so it might someday be redeveloped. “It cannot be denied that DuPont did good things here,” insisted defense attorney Jeffrey A. Hall.