United States Second Circuit

In a case brought by U.S. military veterans and their relatives alleging injuries and cancer were caused by exposure to Agent Orange and related defoliants used in the Vietnam war, the government contractor defense applies to bar claims in sixteen unconsolidated appeals.

Appellate Information

• Decided 02/22/2008
• Published 02/22/2008

Judges

• SACK, Circuit Judge:, Before:  MINER, SACK, and HALL, Circuit Judges.

Court

• United States Second Circuit

Counsel

• For Appellant:
  
• James Boanerges, Cooper, Sprague, Jackson & Boanerges, P.C., Houston, TX;  Mark I. Bronson, Newman, Bronson & Wallis, St. Louis, Missouri;  Gerson H. Smoger, Smoger & Associates, Oakland, CA;  Mark R. Cuker, Williams Cuker Berezofsky, Philadelphia, PA, for Plaintiffs-Appellants., Christopher E. Buckey, Shanley, Sweeney, Reilly, & Allen, P.C., Albany, NY;  David E. Cherry, Campbell, Cherry, Harrison, Davis & Dove, P.C., Waco, TX;  John H. Pucheu, Pucheu, Pucheu & Robertson, L.L.P., Eunice, LA;  Bernard F. Duhon, Abbeville, LA;  Robert B. Evans, III, Burgos, Evans & Wilson LLC, Metairie, LA;  Nira T. Kersmich, Rochester, NY;  Jeffrey D. Guerriero, Guerriero & Guerriero, Monroe, LA;  Morris E. Cohen, Brooklyn, NY;  James Russell Tucker, Dallas, TX (on the briefs), for Plaintiffs-Appellants., William A. Rossbach (Timothy M. Bechtel, of counsel), Rossbach, Hart, Bechtel, P.C., Missoula, MT;  P.B. Onderdonk, Jr., National Judge Advocate, The American Legion, Indianapolis, IN, for Amicus Curiae Veterans and Military Service Organizations., Ian Heath Gershengorn (Lise T. Spacapan and Fazal R. Khan, on the brief), Jenner & Block LLP, Washington DC, for Amicus Curiae American Chemistry Council and Chlorine Chemistry Council., Raphael Metzger, Metzger Law Group, Long Beach, CA, for Amicus Curiae Drs. Brian G. Durie, Devra Davis, Peter L. deFur, Alan Lockwood, David Ozonoff, Arnold J. Schecter, David Wallinga, Carl F. Cranor, The Council for Education and Research on Toxic, and the Lymphoma Foundation of America.


• For Appellees:
  
• Andrew L. Frey, Charles A. Rothfeld (Lauren R. Goldman, Christopher J. Houpt, of counsel), Mayer, Brown, Rowe & Maw LLP, New York, NY, for Defendants-Appellees., John C. Sabetta, Andrew T. Hahn, Sr., Seyfarth Shaw LLP, New York, NY;  Seth P. Waxman, Paul R.Q. Wolfson, Wilmer, Cutler, Pickering, Hale & Dorr, Washington, DC;  Richard P. Bress, Latham & Watkins, Washington, DC;  Michael M. Gordon, King & Spaulding LLP, New York, NY;  William A. Krohley, William C. Heck, Kelley Drye & Warren LLP, New York, NY;  James L. Stengel, Laurie Strauch Weiss, Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP, New York, NY;  Steven Brock, James V. Aiosa, Richard S. Feldman, Rivkin Radler LLP, Uniondale, NY;  Lawrence D'Aloise, Jr., Clark, Gagliardi & Miller, White Plains, NY;  Myron Kalish, New York, N.Y. (on the brief), for Defendants-Appellees.