[CPEO-BIF] "IBM Lawsuits Settlements shrouded in secrecy"

[Lenny Siegel <lsiegel@cpeo.org>]

IBM Lawsuits Settlements shrouded in secrecy

Sealed documents in other cases anger some Endicott advocates

BY TOM WILBER
Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin (NY)
April 16, 2005

Judging by the outcome of other cases, the Southern Tier public may
never know the outcome of claims by hundreds of Endicott residents that
pollution from IBM has affected their health and property. 

Similar claims against the company in East Fishkill and Westchester
County have produced settlements that forbid recipients to talk about
the outcome. That is a sore spot for some, who say secret settlements
protect industry at the expense of critical public knowledge. 

"It's a cover-up of the responsible party," said Denis Callinan, one of
dozens of East Fishkill residents who accepted a settlement from IBM
last year. The deal came after they threatened to file a civil lawsuit
claiming polluted groundwater hurt their health. "The public cannot know
who was responsible for the damage and how badly people got hurt," said
Callinan, who accepted the deal reluctantly. 

...

For the entire article, see
http://www.pressconnects.com/today/news/stories/ne041605s160664.shtml

-- 


Lenny Siegel
Director, Center for Public Environmental Oversight
c/o PSC, 278-A Hope St., Mountain View, CA 94041
Voice: 650/961-8918 or 650/969-1545
Fax: 650/961-8918
<lsiegel@cpeo.org>
http://www.cpeo.org
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