Wisconsin Verdict Against Insurers on Fox River Pollution Upheld

A jury verdict that nine insurance companies are liable for costs of cleaning up PCB pollution of the lower Fox River in Wisconsin has been upheld by a Brown County judge.

The jury had found that the insurance firms were liable through their contracts with paper company Appleton.

The decision by Circuit Judge Donald Zuidmulder is expected to be appealed, but the companies could be required to pay as much as $750 million, although Appleton’s share of the cleanup cost has not yet been determined.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and state Department of Natural Resources identified Appleton and six other companies as responsible for dumping the chemical pollutant PCBs, or polychlorinated biphenyls, into the river as a byproduct of carbonless paper production.

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Information from: Green Bay Press-Gazette,
http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com