Aerospace Industry Suits

The lead singer for Motley Crue has sued Boeing North American Inc. claiming that his daughter's death by cancer in 1995 was caused by radioactive material dumped in the soil and ground water near his former home near the Santa Susana Field Laboratory. Vince Neil and his ex-wife, Sharise, bought a home in Chatsworth in 1991, a few miles east of Boeing's Rocketdyne Division. Boeing acquired the property in 1996 when it bought Rockwell International's aerospace and defense businesses.

Northrop Grumman Corp. said it has filed suit against the nation's largest defense firm, Lockheed Martin Corp., for allegedly eliminating it from a major U.S. Army contract. Northrop claims it helped Lockheed win a $4-billion contract to start a new missile-defense system but that Northrop's share of the work was then assigned to a Lockheed unit. The suit was filed in federal court in San Jose in December and first reported by the Wall Street Journal on Friday.

The Supreme Court on Monday agreed to hear an appeal filed by Hughes Aircraft Co. in a case involving whether retirees from the Los Angeles-based aerospace firm are entitled to claim part of an estimated $1.2-billion surplus that accumulated in the company pension fund. The decision, expected early next year, could have a profound impact on how companies handle pensions in the future.

A Los Angeles County Superior Court judge has set a Dec. 8 hearing on the proposed $5-million settlement between Lockheed Martin Corp. and more than 300 Burbank residents. The residents sued the Bethesda, Md.,-based company in 1996, alleging they got sick from toxic chemicals that Lockheed released into the air, soil and ground water while manufacturing airplanes. Lockheed has denied that the releases were sufficient to cause illnesses.

McDonnell Douglas Corp. facilities throughout the Southland are releasing hazardous levels of cancer-causing chemicals that pose "serious health risks" to hundreds of thousands of people, according to a pair of lawsuits filed this week by the state attorney general's office. The suits seek to ensure that McDonnell Douglas notify residents around its facilities of the potential health risks, and that it be ordered to reduce its emission levels of the chemicals.

The Stealth fighter was a terror to the Iraqis in the Gulf War, but since the days when it was the Pentagon's biggest secret it has been shadowed by a non-military question: Did working on its high-tech body ruin workers' health? Another round in the legal battle over that question begins this week when attorneys representing more than 600 former Lockheed Corp. workers and the nearly two dozen chemical companies they are suing return to court in the retrial of a chemical-exposure lawsuit.

Hoping to sway a federal judge, a group of Rocketdyne neighbors is taking a second stab at turning litigation against the aerospace giant into a class-action lawsuit. In October, U.S. District Judge Audrey Collins shot down the neighbors' first attempt, saying the scope of their lawsuit for property damage was too broad to meet the exacting demands of class-action law.

For decades, Northrop was consumed by its B-2 stealth bomber project. The company nurtured it from its top-secret beginnings through its first military flights, then stood gamely in the political cross-fire as debates raged over the batwing aircraft's cost and relevance in the post-Cold War era.

More than 300 Burbank residents will accept a $5-million settlement from Lockheed Martin Corp., their lawyer said Tuesday, ending four years of litigation by people who say they were sickened by the aerospace giant's release of toxic chemicals into the air, soil and ground water.

Rockwell Settles Government Suit: A lawsuit accusing Rockwell International Corp. of overcharging on government contracts for a "smart bomb" will be settled with a $5.1-million payment, Rockwell announced. The government had sued Rockwell's Duluth, Ga.-based Tactical Systems division under the False Claims Act, contending that it was cheated on contracts from 1984 to 1987.

More than 300 Burbank residents will accept a $5-million settlement from Lockheed Martin Corp., their lawyer said Tuesday, ending four years of litigation by people who say they were sickened by the aerospace giant's release of toxic chemicals into the air, soil and ground water.

The Lockheed Martin Corp. made an about-face Friday, offering $5 million to about 300 Burbank residents instead of fighting them in court to settle claims that they got sick from toxic chemicals the aerospace giant released into the air, soil and ground water during decades of defense manufacturing. The settlement offer, if accepted, could end four years of litigation in Superior Court between the residents and Lockheed. In making its offer, Lockheed is not admitting guilt.

Lockheed Martin Corp. made an about-face Friday, offering $5 million to about 300 Burbank residents instead of fighting them in court to settle claims they got sick from toxic chemicals the aerospace giant released into the air, soil and ground water during decades of defense manufacturing. The settlement offer, if accepted, could end four years of litigation in Los Angeles County Superior Court between the residents and Lockheed. Despite its offer, Lockheed is not admitting guilt.

Workers laid off from Burbank Aeronautical Corp. II have filed a federal lawsuit alleging the aerospace company failed to pay them, their attorney said. The suit, filed last week in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles, alleges that Burbank Aeronautical owes several weeks of back pay to 370 workers who were furloughed after the company was beset with financial problems earlier this year.

Rejecting one of the largest toxic pollution verdicts ever rendered, a California appellate court Tuesday threw out $380 million in punitive damages against five oil and chemical companies accused of failing to warn hundreds of workers about health hazards at the Lockheed Skunk Works. The three-judge panel of the 2nd District Court of Appeal in Los Angeles ruled in Aguilar vs. Ashland Chemical Co. that there was no evidence of "despicable conduct" by Exxon, Unocal, Shell, Ashland and DuPont.

Lynnell Madrid wants her day in court. The Burbank resident and about 3,000 of her former neighbors sued Lockheed Martin in 1996, blaming the aerospace giant for making them sick with decades of toxic emissions from the legendary defense plant known as the Skunk Works. Last month, Burbank Superior Court Judge Carl J.

Boeing Union Files Lawsuit: Boeing Co.'s second-largest union has filed a lawsuit alleging violations of Washington state wage and hour laws for unpaid time spent in orientation sessions. The Seattle Professional Engineering Employees Assn. and several individual Boeing employees filed the suit, which seeks class-action status.

Boeing Discusses Possible Settlement: Airplane manufacturer Boeing Co. said it discussed possible financial settlements with the families of victims killed in the crash of a Boeing 747 air freighter in the Dutch city of Amsterdam. At least 50 people were killed when the Boeing cargo jet flown by El Al, Israel's national airline, crashed into an apartment building Oct. 4.

Lynnell Madrid wants her day in court. The Burbank resident and about 3,000 of her former neighbors sued Lockheed Martin in 1996, blaming the aerospace giant for making them sick through decades of toxic emissions from the legendary defense plant known as the Skunk Works. Earlier this month, Burbank Superior Court Judge Carl J.

A Los Angeles race discrimination case that led to an $89.5-million jury award against Hughes Aircraft Co. must be retried, the California Supreme Court decided Monday. The unanimous ruling strongly reaffirmed the broad discretion of trial judges to toss out jury verdicts they believe are not supported by the evidence. The state high court sided with Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Malcolm H.