More than seven hundred plaintiffs are waiting for U.S. District Court Judge Roger W. Titus to decide whether a lawsuit can continue against Houston-based defense contractor KBR Inc., former subsidiary of Halliburton.  The company, which began managing waste operations in Iraq and Afghanistan in 2003, ran burn pits designed to dispose of waste on U.S. bases in both countries.  Emissions from each pit have been said to have plagued soldiers with debilitating diseases and even caused the death of some who fought in the vicinity of the burn operations.  

Image Courtesy of VetsHQ

“It would be extremely sad if the case is dismissed,” Jilly Wilkins, whose husband, Air Force Major Kevin Wilkins, died in 2008 at age 51 of glioblastoma, said. “There are a lot of people looking for help from the [Department of Veterans Affairs] and not getting it."Titus dismissed the case once before, in 2013, when he agreed with KBR Inc. that military contractors should share the same immunity from litigation over war injuries that the U.S. government has.  However, the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals overturned Titus’s decision the following year, claiming more evidence was needed to make a final determination regarding immunity.  KBR Inc. unsuccessfully petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court to hear the case in 2015, and it landed it back in Titus’ hands.  He has not announced when a final decision will be issued.

Sources:

Veterans who say ‘burn pit’ exposure made them sick wait for judge’s decision on lawsuitFederal court to weigh lawsuit alleging lung diseases from Iraq, Afghanistan burn pitsKBR and Halliburton Can Be Sued For Iraq Toxic Burn Pits, Court Rules