/raid1/www/Hosts/bankrupt/CAR_Public/120720.mbx              C L A S S   A C T I O N   R E P O R T E R

               Friday, July 20, 2012, Vol. 14, No. 143

                             Headlines

ABBOTT LABORATORIES: Blumenthal, Nordrehaug Files Class Action
AIR TRANSPORT: Unit Still Awaits OK of Settlement in Workers' Suit
AMERICAN NATIONAL: Seeks Ark. AG's Intervention in Class Action
APPLE INC: Sued Over Digital Music Copyright Violations
APPLIANCE RECYCLING: Suit Over Whirlpool Products Remains Pending

CAESARS ENTERTAINMENT: Second-Hand Smoke Class Action Dismissed
CHESAPEAKE ENERGY: Discovery Ongoing in Okla. Securities Suit
CHINA GREEN: Awaits Ruling on Motion to Dismiss Securities Suit
DAVID LERNER: Files Motion to Dismiss Class Action in N.Y.
DE BEERS: Class Action Claimants Set to Receive Checks

E-TRADE FINANCIAL: Oct. 29 Class Action Settlement Hearing Set
FX ALLIANCE: Being Sold to Thomson Reuters for Too Little
GOOGLE INC: Arbitration Bid Granted in Virtual Pet Class Action
GREAT SOUTHERN: Bank Continues to Defend Overdraft Practices Suit
GUITAR CENTER: Awaits Ruling on Motions to Dismiss Pricing Suits

GUITAR CENTER: Continues to Defend "Pellanda" Suit in Calif.
GUITAR CENTER: Discovery Ongoing in Calif. Credit Card Suit
IMPERIAL SUGAR: Awaits Ruling on Motion to Dismiss Securities Suit
IMPERIAL SUGAR: Faces Suit over Louis Dreyfus Merger
JPMORGAN: Former Brokerage Client Files Class Action

MANNKIND CORP: Settlement Negotiations in Securities Suit Ongoing
MARICOPA COUNTY, AZ: Trial in Race Bias Class Action Commences
MERCEDES: Sued Over Deceptive Advertising on 2012 CLS 550s
MERCK & CO: Federal Appeals Court Revives Patent Class Action
MORGAN STANLEY: Loses Bid to Dismiss MBS Class Action

REDDY ICE: Awaits Final Approval of Settlements in Antitrust Suits
REDDY ICE: Still Awaits Approval of Suit Settlement in Canada
REDDY ICE: Continues to Defend Securities Suit in Bank. Ct.
SACRAMENTO CITY UNIFIED: Teachers Mull Suit Over Layoff Policy
SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS: Ct. Appoints Hagens Berman as Co-Lead Counsel

SKYPEOPLE FRUIT: Awaits Ruling on Bid to Dismiss Securities Suit
TIMMINCO LTD: Class Action Ruling Spurs Lawyers' Protest
TIM PARTICIPACOES: Continues to Defend Various Class Suits
TRIAD GUARANTY: Continues to Litigate Rescission Suit v. AHM
US BANCORP: Settles ERISA Class Action for Nearly $10 Million

                         Asbestos Litigation

ASBESTOS UPDATE: NY Ct. Reinstates Worker's Termination Claim
ASBESTOS UPDATE: 1st Cir. Junks Reinsurance Case v. Aviva
ASBESTOS UPDATE: NY Court Remands PI Suit for Untimely Notice
ASBESTOS UPDATE: Chase Corp. Continues to Defend PI Suits
ASBESTOS UPDATE: 8-Year Abatement Conspiracy at NYPH Uncovered

ASBESTOS UPDATE: Manning Returns to Co-chair Perrin's ALC
ASBESTOS UPDATE: Advocates Gather for Ninth Annual Meso Symposium
ASBESTOS UPDATE: Aqua America Faces Fine for Each Day of Breaches
ASBESTOS UPDATE: Mesothelioma Confirms Exposure of Retired Army
ASBESTOS UPDATE: 48 Loudwater Housing Properties Tested for Fibro

ASBESTOS UPDATE: NY Lawyer Supports New Lung-Sparing Treatment
ASBESTOS UPDATE: Health Minister Ranks Fibro With Tanning Salons
ASBESTOS UPDATE: Baron and Budd Relates 2010 $11 Million Verdict
ASBESTOS UPDATE: Ex-Steelman Got Payout 2 Years Before His Death
ASBESTOS UPDATE: Sherborne School and Contractor Fined GBP89,000

ASBESTOS UPDATE: B&F Cases Among Top New York Verdicts From 2011
ASBESTOS UPDATE: 60 Schools In Kozhikode, India Use Asbestos Roofs
ASBESTOS UPDATE: TV Presenter May Have Been Exposed to Fibro
ASBESTOS UPDATE: Cleanup at SUNY New Paltz to Complete by July 31
ASBESTOS UPDATE: Norwich Hospital Passes Surprise Inspection

ASBESTOS UPDATE: Robin Hood Bay Landfill Shuttered For Cleanup
ASBESTOS UPDATE: Normalcy Starts to Finds Its Way in Libby
ASBESTOS UPDATE: Demolition of Former Belcher Foundry Halted
ASBESTOS UPDATE: Ballymun Regeneration Plan to Complete in 2014
ASBESTOS UPDATE: Hartford to Raise Reserves by Up to $55 million

ASBESTOS UPDATE: Bleakley Clears Up Fibro-Exposure Reports
ASBESTOS UPDATE: Reported Truck Tested Negative of Toxic Fibro
ASBESTOS UPDATE: A View on Canada's Usage of Taxpayer Money
ASBESTOS UPDATE: Fibro Found in Mulch Alerts Tenterfield Council
ASBESTOS UPDATE: Greeley-Evans School More Likely to Overhaul

ASBESTOS UPDATE: Borg-Warner Corp, 63 Others Face Lawsuit
ASBESTOS UPDATE: Residents May Sue Glasgow City Council Chiefs


                          *********

ABBOTT LABORATORIES: Blumenthal, Nordrehaug Files Class Action
--------------------------------------------------------------
On July 3, 2012, the employment law firm Blumenthal, Nordrehaug &
Bhowmik filed a class action lawsuit against Abbott Laboratories
alleging Abbott misclassified their employees working as Network
Analysts and Business Analysts as exempt from overtime and
systematically failed to pay wages for all hours these employees
worked.  Osifo-Doe, et al. vs. Abbott Laboratories, Case No.
FCS040073 is currently pending in the Solano County Superior Court
for the State of California.

The wage and hour class action Complaint alleges that Abbott's
employees working as Network Analysts and Business Analysts were
primarily engaged in non-exempt clerical tasks throughout their
workday, including general troubleshooting of Abbott's computer
network and setting up and maintaining the email accounts of
Abbott's employees.  Additionally, the Complaint alleges that
Abbott "instituted a blanket classification policy by which these
employees were all classified as exempt from overtime
compensation.  "As a result, the Complaint states that these
employees were systematically denied pay for all overtime hours
worked.

Managing partner Norman B. Blumenthal stated, "By misclassifying
their employees as exempt from overtime pay, employers not only
hurt their employees, but they cheat taxpayers in the State of
California."

The labor law firm Blumenthal, Nordrehaug & Bhowmik represents
many California employees in class action lawsuits against their
employers for various workplace violations.


AIR TRANSPORT: Unit Still Awaits OK of Settlement in Workers' Suit
------------------------------------------------------------------
A subsidiary of Air Transport Services Group, Inc., is still
awaiting court approval of a settlement entered in a putative
class action lawsuit filed by former employees, according to the
Company's May 10, 2012 Form 10-Q filing with the U.S. Securities
and Exchange Commission for the quarterly period ended March 31,
2012.

On December 31, 2008, a former ABX Air, Inc., employee filed a
complaint against ABX, a total of four current and former
executives and managers of ABX, Garcia Labor Company of Ohio, and
three former executives of the Garcia Labor companies, in the U.S.
District Court for the Southern District of Ohio. The case was
filed as a putative class action against the defendants, and
asserts violations of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt
Practices Act (RICO). The complaint, which was later amended to
include a second former employee plaintiff, seeks damages in an
unspecified amount and alleges that the defendants engaged in a
scheme to hire illegal immigrant workers to depress the wages paid
to hourly wage employees during the period from December 1999 to
January 2005.

The complaint is similar to a prior complaint filed by another
former employee in April 2007. The prior complaint was
subsequently dismissed without prejudice at the plaintiff's
request on November 3, 2008.

On March 18, 2010, the Court issued a decision in response to a
motion filed by ABX and the other ABX defendants, dismissing three
of the five claims constituting the basis of Plaintiffs'
complaint. Thereafter, on October 7, 2010, the Court issued a
decision permitting the plaintiffs' to amend their complaint for
the purpose of reinstating one of their dismissed claims. On
October 26, 2010, ABX and the other ABX defendants filed an answer
denying the allegations contained in plaintiffs' second amended
complaint.

On December 2, 2011, the parties attended a settlement conference
presided over by the Court and agreed to settle this matter. The
settlement calls for ABX to pay to the plaintiffs a monetary
amount, which management believes to be less than it would have
cost for ABX to defend the case at trial. Once the plaintiffs have
provided notice to the putative class members of the settlement,
the Court will hold a hearing to consider any objections and seek
final confirmation of the settlement.

No further updates were provided in the Company's latest SEC
filing.


AMERICAN NATIONAL: Seeks Ark. AG's Intervention in Class Action
---------------------------------------------------------------
Michelle Keahey, writing for Legal Newsline, reports that
insurance companies battling class action litigation in Miller
County, Ark. are asking state Attorney General Dustin McDaniel to
intervene.

The group of insurance companies known as ANPAC on July 13 asked
for Mr. McDaniel's input regarding a state law (Sec. 16-63-221)
that, among other things, spells out how a plaintiff should
describe an amount in controversy in order to establish subject
matter jurisdiction.

Plaintiffs want to keep the case -- Basham and McClendon v.
American National County Mutual Ins. Co. et al -- in Miller County
Circuit Court with the same judge who years earlier approved $185
million in attorney fees in an identical case.  They have
repeatedly stated that the Basham lawsuit does not require removal
to federal court per the Class Action Fairness Act (CAFA) as the
case will only represent Arkansas class members and will not seek
more than $75,000 per plaintiff or more than $5 million in total
damages, not including injunctive relief and attorney's fees.

Defendants want the case to stay at federal court in the Western
District of Arkansas where it currently awaits a judge's order on
jurisdiction.  They say the amount in controversy would in fact
exceed $5 million, arguing that plaintiffs would not be bound by
what they stipulate.  ANPAC also says that plaintiffs'
stipulations regarding the amount in controversy were made in bad
faith.

"In short, if this litigation is allowed to continue against the
ANPAC Defendants in the Circuit Court of Miller County, Arkansas,
it will be tantamount to placing Defendants into an abyss," ANPAC
states in a court document that accompanied its letter to
Mr. McDaniel.

The insurance companies argue that if the state court does not
accept its argument in the case regarding the Arkansas statute,
then the law should be challenged as unconstitutional.

The underlying lawsuit alleges that insurance companies conspired
to underpay uninsured or underinsured bodily injury claims by
using the claims adjusting software -- Colossus.

The defendants in Basham removed the case on grounds that the
Arkansas federal court has proper subject matter jurisdiction per
CAFA because the amount of damages being sought exceeded state
court jurisdiction.

The plaintiffs argue that the extensive stipulations and
alternative pleading contained in their complaint are sufficient
to limit damages recoverable in the same manner as a separate
affidavit/stipulation would be.

The parties are currently awaiting U.S. District Judge Susan O.
Hickey's ruling on the plaintiffs' motion to remand the case to
the Judge Kirk Johnson's Circuit Court of Miller County.

The ANPAC group wants an immediate ruling on their motions to
dismiss based on jurisdiction and other issues before the federal
court rules on the plaintiff's motion to remand.

In its pleadings, the ANPAC group argues that it has been
embroiled in over seven years of litigation based on allegations
which do not distinguish its conduct from other insurers and the
Colossus software manufacturer.

ANPAC states that the other defendant insurance companies "have
been dismissed after buying peace by settling in separate lawsuits
which probably netted no appreciable benefits to any insured class
member, but have earned opposing counsel attorney's fees of over
$185 million in Colossus settlements."

The plaintiffs allegedly want to keep nationwide or multi-state
class actions in state court "whose judges have reputations for
readily certifying classes and approving settlements without
regard to class member interest," ANPAC states.

The insurance companies that are included within the ANPAC group
are American National Property & Casualty Co., American National
General Insurance Co., American National County Mutual Insurance
Co., ANPAC Louisiana Insurance Co., and Pacific Property &
Casualty Co.


APPLE INC: Sued Over Digital Music Copyright Violations
-------------------------------------------------------
Kevin Koeninger at Courthouse News Service reports that the
sellers of "almost all the downloaded music in the United States,"
including Apple, Amazon, Google and Microsoft, "accept and sell
unlicensed music" from "music aggregators," cheating thousands of
artists of royalties, a songwriter claims in a federal class
action filed in New York.

Norman Blagman sued the four defendants named above, plus
eMusic.com and Orchard Enterprises, alleging "massive and
systematic" copyright violations.

Mr. Blagman claims he has been a successful songwriter since the
1950s.  Elvis Presley recorded two of his songs, "Put the Blame on
Me," and "Give me the Right," and one of his tunes was used in the
movie "The Producers," according to the complaint.  Los Lobos, the
Belmonts and Tiny Tim also have performed his tunes.

He claims the defendants violated his copyright on the tune "Jazz
is His Old Lady and My Old Man."

Mr. Blagman claims the retailer defendants are required by the
Copyright Act and other laws "to obtain a mechanical license
before reproducing and distributing copyrighted musical
compositions.

And he claims: "Defendant Orchard and other music aggregators, who
act as middlemen between the retailer defendants and the content
providers, are required, whether under Section 115 of the
Copyright Act or by the other means outlined above [in the
complaint], to obtain a mechanical license before reproducing and
distributing copyrighted musical compositions.

"None of the defendants, however, are meeting their statutory
obligation to obtain mechanical licenses for all of the digital
musical compositions they reproduce, distribute and sell online.
Nor have they confirmed that all persons or entities who upload
digital recordings have obtained the required mechanical licenses
for the musical compositions embodied in those recordings.

"Instead, all the defendants are unlawfully copying and
distributing plaintiff's copyrighted musical works (and the
musical works of thousands of others) and profiting greatly from
their illegal activities, all without plaintiff's authorization or
permission."

Mr. Blagman describes defendant Orchard Enterprises as a digital
music "aggregator" that "works with independent artists, labels
and other content providers to distribute musical content online
to digital music stores such as iTunes, Amazon MP3, Google Play,
Zune and EMusic."

He claims that "digital music retailers do not require aggregators
to provide proof of mechanical licenses for all the music they
post for sale in their digital music stores."

"Distributors such as Orchard do not obtain mechanical licenses,
or confirm that such licenses have been obtained, for all the
music they distribute via online music stores."

Mr. Blagman claims: "Orchard admittedly does not obtain the
required mechanical licenses for all the music it distributes.
For example, in its 2008-2009 SEC filings, Orchard admitted that
it has not obtained mechanical licenses (or independently
confirmed that its clients have done so) for much of the music it
distributes online.  Rather, Orchard claimed that it administered
mechanical royalties only to certain artists and labels: 'We could
be liable for unpaid mechanical royalty obligations and bear
liability for copyright infringement if our label clients fail to
license and/or pay mechanical copyright royalties owed or if,
where contractually obligated to do so, we fail to properly
license and/or pay mechanical copyright royalties, which could
have a negative effect on our business.'"

Citing his own, copyrighted tune, "Jazz is His Old Lady and My Old
Man," Mr. Blagman claims that "Apple, Amazon, EMusic and Microsoft
have all reproduced, redistributed and sold . . . digital
recordings of [the composition] . . . in their online music stores
as individual downloads or as part of various albums" and that
"the digital recordings of Blagman's composition were duplicated
and transmitted to Apple, Amazon, Google, Microsoft and EMusic by
Orchard and/or other aggregators."

He seeks class certification, statutory damages, actual damages,
costs and an injunction preventing.

The Plaintiff is represented by:

          Oren Giskan, Esq.
          GISKAN SOLOTAROFF ANDERSON AND STEWART
          11 Broadway, Suite 2150
          New York, NY 10004
          Telephone: (212) 847-8315
          E-mail: ogiskan@gslawny.com


APPLIANCE RECYCLING: Suit Over Whirlpool Products Remains Pending
-----------------------------------------------------------------
A class action lawsuit relating to Whirlpool Corporation products
remains pending, according to Appliance Recycling Centers of
America, Inc.'s May 10, 2012 Form 10-Q filing with the U.S.
Securities and Exchange Commission for the quarterly period ended
March 31, 2012.

In February 2012, various individuals commenced a class action
lawsuit against Whirlpool Corporation ("Whirlpool") and various
distributors of Whirlpool products, including Sears, The Home
Depot, Lowe's and the Company, alleging certain appliances sold by
Whirlpool through its distribution chain, which includes the
Company, were improperly designated with the ENERGY STAR(R)
qualification rating established by the U.S. Department of Energy
and the Environmental Protection Agency.  The claims against the
Company include breach of warranty claims, as well as various
State Consumer Protection claims.  The amount of the claim is, as
yet, undetermined.  Whirlpool has offered to fully indemnify and
defend its distributors in this lawsuit including the Company, and
is in the process of engaging defense counsel to defend itself and
the distributors.  The Company intends to monitor Whirlpool's
defense of the claims.


CAESARS ENTERTAINMENT: Second-Hand Smoke Class Action Dismissed
---------------------------------------------------------------
Steve Green, writing for Vegas Inc., reports that a federal judge
has dismissed a lawsuit claiming the health of casino employees is
in jeopardy because of their constant exposure to tobacco smoke.

U.S. District Judge Sarah Vance in Louisiana last week dismissed a
suit claiming Caesars Entertainment Corp. of Las Vegas was
responsible for the cancer death of a dealer at its Harrah's
hotel-casino in New Orleans.

The suit filed by Denise Bevrotte claimed Harrah's New Orleans had
failed to protect employees from second-hand cigarette and cigar
smoke.

The suit complained her son, Maceo Bevrotte Jr., a Harrah's dealer
for 15 years and a non-smoker, had contracted leukemia because of
exposure to smoke at work and then died in 2010.

The suit had been proposed as a class-action representing more
than 1,000 former, current and future nonsmoking employees of
Harrah's New Orleans.

Vance dismissed the suit on technical legal grounds without the
case advancing to the point where a determination could be made on
whether Harrah's had a duty to protect employees from the dangers
of smoke and whether it breached such a duty.

Mr. Bevrotte's wrongful death suit alleged her son contracted an
occupational disease as defined by the Louisiana Workers'
Compensation Act.  The workers' compensation system is her sole
avenue to pursue those claims, Judge Vance ruled.

The judge rejected an argument by Mr. Bevrotte's attorney that
whether leukemia is an occupation disease -- which would shield
Harrah's from lawsuit liability -- is an issue that should have
been decided with a trial in the court system.

Mr. Bevrotte's attorney, Jalila Jefferson-Bullock in New Orleans,
couldn't immediately be reached for comment on the dismissal of
the suit.

A similar suit seeking class-action status and filed in 2009 is
pending in federal court in Las Vegas pitting dealer and union
activist Kanie Kastroll against Wynn Las Vegas.  That suit doesn't
allege anyone has died because of tobacco smoke in the casino but
says the smoke aggravates Ms. Kastroll's asthma and subjects
employees to "ingestion of cancer-causing chemicals and toxins."

That suit survived an early dismissal motion but is still in the
legal-wrangling stage.

It's unclear when, or if, Ms. Kastroll's case will advance to the
point where a decision is made on whether Wynn has failed to
protect workers from tobacco dangers and whether it has a duty to
do so.

Wynn attorneys said Ms. Kastroll's suit can't proceed as a class-
action under a little-known provision in federal law governing
"home-state controversies."

They said this provision bars federal class-action lawsuits when
more than two-thirds of the proposed plaintiff class members are
citizens of the forum state.

In this case, they say, the class-action can't stand because 99.6
percent of Wynn's current employees, and 91 percent of its former
employees, live in Nevada.

On top of that, they've argued the Nevada Clean Indoor Air Act, a
successful 2006 ballot measure, specifically exempts nonrestricted
gaming licensees like Wynn from smoking restrictions imposed on
other workplaces.

In both the Bevrotte and Kastroll lawsuits, the casinos were
accused of failing to protect workers by requiring them to deal at
tables where gamblers smoke, failing to install adequate
ventilation systems, encouraging customers to smoke by providing
or selling cigarettes and failing to monitor the health of
employees subjected to smoke.

The casino industry, for its part, says it has improved
ventilation and that it's important for business reasons to cater
to customers who smoke.

Nevertheless, some casino smoking lawsuits have been successful
around the country, including one filed by a dealer against the
Tropicana Atlantic City that was settled in 2010 for $4.5 million.

And Smoke-Free Gaming, an advocacy group, notes the new Revel
resort opened smoke-free this year in Atlantic City.


CHESAPEAKE ENERGY: Discovery Ongoing in Okla. Securities Suit
-------------------------------------------------------------
Discovery is ongoing in a putative securities class action lawsuit
against Chesapeake Energy Corporation, according to the Company's
May 11, 2012 Form 10-Q filing with the U.S. Securities and
Exchange Commission for the quarterly period ended March 31, 2012.

On February 25, 2009, a putative class action was filed in the
U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York against
the Company and certain of its officers and directors along with
certain underwriters of the Company's July 2008 common stock
offering. Following the appointment of a lead plaintiff and
counsel, the plaintiff filed an amended complaint on September 11,
2009 alleging that the registration statement for the offering
contained material misstatements and omissions and seeking damages
under Sections 11, 12 and 15 of the Securities Act of 1933 of an
unspecified amount and rescission. The action was transferred to
the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma on
October 13, 2009. On September 2, 2010, the court denied the
defendants' motion to dismiss, and the court certified the class
on March 30, 2012. Defendants moved for summary judgment on
grounds of loss causation and materiality on December 16, 2011.
Discovery in the case is proceeding. The Company is currently
unable to assess the probability of loss or estimate a range of
potential loss associated with the case.


CHINA GREEN: Awaits Ruling on Motion to Dismiss Securities Suit
---------------------------------------------------------------
China Green Agriculture, Inc., is still awaiting a court ruling on
its motion to dismiss a securities class action lawsuit in Nevada,
according to the Company's May 10, 2012 Form 10-Q filing with the
U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission for the quarterly period
ended March 31, 2012.

On October 15, 2010, a class action lawsuit was filed against the
Company and certain of its current and former officers in the
United States District Court for the District of Nevada (the
"Nevada Federal Court") on behalf of purchasers of the Company's
common stock between November 12, 2009 and September 1, 2010.  On
April 27, 2011, the court appointed the lead plaintiff and lead
plaintiff's counsel. On June 13, 2011, lead plaintiff filed an
amended complaint, which adds several additional defendants and
expands the class period to include purchasers who purchased the
Company's common stock between May 12, 2009 and January 4, 2011.
The amended complaint alleges that the Company and certain of its
our current and former officers and directors violated Sections
10(b) and 20(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and
Sections 11, 12(a)(2), and 15 of the Securities Act of 1933, as
amended, by making material misstatements and omissions in the
Company's financial statements, securities offering documents, and
related disclosures during the class period.  The plaintiffs claim
that such allegedly misleading statements inflated the price of
the Company's common stock and seek monetary damages in an amount
to be determined at trial. Defendants moved to dismiss the amended
complaint on September 19, 2011 and defendants' motions are
currently pending. No hearing has been set for defendants'
motions.

No further updates were provided in the Company's latest SEC
filing.


DAVID LERNER: Files Motion to Dismiss Class Action in N.Y.
----------------------------------------------------------
Kaitlin Ugolik, writing for Law360, reports that David Lerner
Associates Inc. and Apple REIT Inc. filed separate motions in New
York federal court on July 13 seeking to dismiss a $6 billion
class action claiming they misled investors and inflated shares,
arguing that the plaintiffs cannot show they have suffered any
loss.

Investor materials clearly stated that the units investors
purchased in various Apple REIT entities would be part of risky
"blind pools" of long-term, illiquid investments in primarily
hotel properties, the defendants said.


DE BEERS: Class Action Claimants Set to Receive Checks
------------------------------------------------------
Ivan Penn, writing for Tampa Bay Times, reports that Diamonds just
might be everyone's best friend these days -- or at least those
who bought them in the mid-1990s to early 2000s.

The federal courts have finally ended the class action lawsuit
against trading company De Beers for overcharging for diamonds.
The U.S. Supreme Court recently decided not to review appeals.

Checks are expected to be in the mail within the next few months,
according to the claims Web site,
http://www.diamondsclassaction.com

To receive a check, diamond buyers had to submit a claim in the
case by May 19, 2008.

The total settlement amount is $272.5 million, but it is unclear
how much individuals will receive.  At the time the class action
was announced, the minimum check was expected to be $10 and the
maximum $640 for a loose diamond or diamond jewelry costing $2,000
or more.

Class action lawsuits often result in little for plaintiffs
because much of the money from the settlement gets eaten up in
legal fees.

The settlement was the result of several lawsuits.  Plaintiffs
complained that De Beers S.A. and its associated companies
violated antitrust, unfair competition and consumer-protection
laws.  The plaintiffs also alleged that De Beers monopolized
diamond supplies, conspired to fix, raise and control diamond
prices and disseminated false and misleading advertising.

Although De Beers settled the claims, the company did not admit
guilt in any of the allegations.


E-TRADE FINANCIAL: Oct. 29 Class Action Settlement Hearing Set
--------------------------------------------------------------
Greg Morcroft, writing for MarketWatch, reports that lawyers for
the plaintiffs in a class action shareholder lawsuit seeking
damages from E-Trade Financial Corp. said on July 16 that a
hearing will be held on October 29 to decide if the plan will be
approved.  The proposed plan calls for the firm to pay a $79
million settlement to plaintiffs, according to a press release
from law firm Brower Priven.


FX ALLIANCE: Being Sold to Thomson Reuters for Too Little
---------------------------------------------------------
Courthouse News Service reports that shareholders claim FX
Alliance, an electronic currencies trading platform, is selling
itself too cheaply to Thomson Reuters, for $616 million, or $22 a
share.

A copy of the Complaint in FX Alliance Inc., Index No. 652450/2012
(N.Y. Sup. Ct., N.Y. Cty.), is available at:

     http://www.courthousenews.com/2012/07/17/FX.pdf

The Plaintiff is represented by:

          Joseph H. Weiss, Esq.
          Richard A. Acocelli, Esq.
          WEISS & LURIE
          1500 Broadway
          16th Floor
          New York, NY 10036
          Telephone: (212) 682-3025
          E-mail: jweiss@weisslurie.com
                  racocelli@weisslurie.com


GOOGLE INC: Arbitration Bid Granted in Virtual Pet Class Action
---------------------------------------------------------------
Jonny Bonner at Courthouse News Service reports that Google and
SuperPoke! Pets developer Slide Inc. convinced a federal judge
that arbitration was the right path for a class action accusing
them of shuttering customers' access to "hundreds or even
thousands of dollars" of virtual pet items.

Buyers claimed Google illegally shut down the social game
SuperPoke! Pets, developed and launched by Slide in 2008.  The
online game allowed users to adopt, care for and interact with
virtual pets.  Basic access was free, and players bought toys,
gifts and habitats with virtual "gold" for their four-legged,
pixelated friends.

After Google purchased Slide in 2010, it made a series of
announcements that caused a frenzy among virtual pet lovers.
First, Google said users would no longer be able to buy gold with
cash and instructed them to spend any outstanding gold on existing
goods, according to the class action.  Plaintiffs claimed Google
also announced that it would no longer accept new VIP
subscriptions after July 1, 2011, but promised those who signed up
before the cut-off date "indefinite" and "free" access to the VIP
status.

As a result, thousands of SuperPoke! Pet users signed up for or
renewed their VIP subscriptions, and "purchased and stockpiled . .
. numerous virtual items, anticipating that such items would
maintain and even increase in value after June 30, 2011,"
according to the class-action lawsuit.

After the flurry of activity, Google and Slide announced in August
2011 that they were pulling the plug on SuperPoke! Pets within six
months, allegedly barring users' access to their virtual pet
purchases.

Lead plaintiff Christalee Abreu said Google and Slide's actions
stripped users of access to goods that cost "hundreds or even
thousands of dollars."

Google and Slide argued that the plaintiffs should be forced to
arbitrate their claims, according to an arbitration provision in
the game's terms of use.

U.S. District Judge William Alsup in San Francisco pointed out
that only one of the plaintiffs' seven asserted claims actually
tackled the arbitration provision.

"The validity of the non-arbitration clauses . . . are for the
arbitrator," Judge Alsup wrote.

The one claim that did address the arbitration clause -- a
challenge of the "unconscionable exculpatory clauses" in the terms
of use -- failed to render the arbitration agreement
"substantively unconscionable," the judge ruled.

Finding the arbitration agreement "valid and enforceable," he
ordered the parties to proceed immediately to arbitration and
rejected the defendants' motion to dismiss.

A copy of the Order Granting Defendants' Motion to Compel
Arbitration and Request for Judicial Notice in Abreu v. Slide,
Inc., Case No. 12-cv-00412 (N.D. Calif.), is available at:

     http://www.courthousenews.com/2012/07/17/Abreu_Google_9.pdf


GREAT SOUTHERN: Bank Continues to Defend Overdraft Practices Suit
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Great Southern Bancorp, Inc.'s primary subsidiary, Great Southern
Bank, continues to defend itself from a class action lawsuit
challenging its automated overdraft program, according to the
Company's May 10, 2012 Form 10-Q filing with the U.S. Securities
and Exchange Commission for the quarterly period ended March 31,
2012.

On November 22, 2010, a suit was filed against Great Southern Bank
in Missouri state court in Springfield by a customer alleging that
the fees associated with the Bank's automated overdraft program in
connection with its debit card and ATM cards constitute unlawful
interest in violation of Missouri's usury laws.  The suit seeks
class-action status for Bank customers who have paid overdraft
fees on their checking accounts.  The Court denied a motion to
dismiss filed by the Bank and litigation is ongoing.  At this
early stage of the litigation, it is not possible for management
of the Bank to determine the probability of a material adverse
outcome or reasonably estimate the amount of any potential loss.


GUITAR CENTER: Awaits Ruling on Motions to Dismiss Pricing Suits
----------------------------------------------------------------
Guitar Center, Inc., is awaiting court rulings on its motions to
dismiss two separate putative class action lawsuits relating to
the pricing of its musical instruments and equipment, according to
the Company's May 14, 2012 Form 10-Q filing with the U.S.
Securities and Exchange Commission for the quarterly period ended
March 31, 2012.

On September 11, 2009, a putative class action was filed by an
individual consumer named David Giambusso in the United States
District Court for the Southern District of California. The
complaint alleged that Guitar Center and other defendants,
including a trade association and a large musical instrument
manufacturer, exchanged sensitive information and strategies for
implementing minimum advertised pricing, attempted to restrict
retail price competition and monopolize at trade association-
organized meetings, all in violation of Sections 1 and 2 of the
Sherman Antitrust Act and California's Unfair Competition Law.
Subsequently, numerous additional lawsuits were filed in several
federal courts (and one state court) attempting to represent
comparable classes of plaintiffs with parallel allegations. Some
of these lawsuits have expanded the group of defendants to include
other manufacturers and others have alleged additional legal
theories under state laws.

In December 2009 and January 2010, the Judicial Panel on
Multidistrict Litigation issued several orders which had the
effect of consolidating all pending actions in federal court under
the caption In Re Musical Instruments and Equipment Antitrust
Litigation, Case No. MDL-2121 ("MDL 2121"), except one filed in
Tennessee. A consolidated amended complaint in MDL 2121 was filed
on July 16, 2010, in the United States District Court for the
Southern District of California. On August 20, 2010, defendants
filed a motion to dismiss the consolidated amended complaint. The
hearing was held on November 1, 2010. The court rendered its
opinion on August 19, 2011, granting the motion to dismiss with
leave to amend. Plaintiffs filed a first amended consolidated
class action complaint on September 22, 2011. On December 28,
2011, the Magistrate Judge issued an order limiting the scope of
discovery to non-public meetings at NAMM conventions. This ruling
was affirmed by the District Court on February 7, 2012. On
February 24, 2012, plaintiffs filed a second amended complaint.
On March 26, 2012, defendants filed a motion to dismiss the second
amended complaint.  A hearing on the motion was set for May 21,
2012.

With regard to the Tennessee action, the Company had previously
filed a motion to dismiss on September 3, 2010. On February 22,
2011, the plaintiff filed an amended complaint, for which the
Company filed an additional motion to dismiss on March 24, 2011.
The parties in the Tennessee action have agreed to cooperate with
regard to a scheduling order, accordingly there is no hearing date
set for the motion to dismiss. The plaintiffs in the consolidated
actions are seeking an injunction against further behavior that
has been alleged, as well as monetary damages, restitution and
treble damages in unspecified amounts. The plaintiffs in the
Tennessee action are seeking no more than $5.0 million in
compensatory damages. The Company is not currently able to
estimate a probable outcome or range of loss in this matter.


GUITAR CENTER: Continues to Defend "Pellanda" Suit in Calif.
------------------------------------------------------------
Guitar Center, Inc., continues to defend itself from a putative
class action lawsuit filed by Carson Pellanda in California,
according to the Company's May 14, 2012 Form 10-Q filing with the
U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission for the quarterly period
ended March 31, 2012.

On August 31, 2011, a putative class action was filed by a former
employee in San Francisco Superior Court in an action entitled
Carson Pellanda vs. Guitar Center, Inc. The complaint alleges that
Guitar Center allegedly violated California wage and hour laws,
including failure to provide required meal periods, rest breaks,
unpaid work time, and failure to provide accurate itemized wage
statements. On October 4, 2011, a first amended complaint was
filed, adding new allegations, including wrongful termination.
Guitar Center has retained defense counsel and is engaged in
discovery. The first amended complaint seeks injunctive relief as
well as monetary damages in unspecified amounts. The Company is
not currently able to estimate a probable outcome or range of loss
in this matter.


GUITAR CENTER: Discovery Ongoing in Calif. Credit Card Suit
-----------------------------------------------------------
Guitar Center, Inc., continues to defend itself from a
consolidated putative class action lawsuit alleging violations of
the California Song-Beverly Credit Card Act, according to the
Company's May 14, 2012 Form 10-Q filing with the U.S. Securities
and Exchange Commission for the quarterly period ended March 31,
2012.

On May 24, 2011, a putative class action was filed in Los Angeles
Superior Court in an action entitled Jason George vs. Guitar
Center, Inc. and Guitar Center Stores, Inc. The complaint alleges
that Guitar Center violated the California Song-Beverly Credit
Card Act by requesting that its customers provide personal
identification information in connection with the use of their
credit cards. The complaint seeks monetary damages including
statutory civil penalties in amounts of up to $1,000 per
violation. This matter was subsequently consolidated with Justin
Hupalo vs. Guitar Center, a putative class action alleging
violations of the Song-Beverly Credit Card Act, filed on
October 27, 2011. Discovery has commenced. The Company is not
currently able to estimate a probable outcome or range of loss in
this matter.


IMPERIAL SUGAR: Awaits Ruling on Motion to Dismiss Securities Suit
------------------------------------------------------------------
Imperial Sugar Company is awaiting a court ruling on its motion to
dismiss a consolidated securities class action lawsuit, according
to the Company's May 10, 2012 Form 10-Q filing with the U.S.
Securities and Exchange Commission for the quarterly period ended
March 31, 2012.

On August 30, 2011, a shareholder of the Company filed a putative
class action lawsuit in the United States District Court for the
Southern District of Texas, styled as Dawes v. Imperial Sugar
Company, et al., Civil Action No. 4:11-cv-03250, alleging that the
Company, its current President and Chief Executive Officer, and
its current Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer,
violated the federal securities laws. On September 22, 2011,
another shareholder filed a nearly identical putative class action
lawsuit against the Company, its current President and Chief
Executive Officer and its current Senior Vice President and Chief
Financial Officer in the United States District Court for the
Southern District of Texas styled as Hassan v. Imperial Sugar
Company, et al., Civil Action No 4:11-cv-03457. On October 28,
2011, these cases were consolidated by the court. The complaints
assert fraud claims under Sections 10 and 20 of the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934, and allege that the defendants made
misleading statements and/or omissions about the Company's sales
and business prospects, which purportedly were disclosed on August
5, 2011 when the Company announced its third fiscal quarter
results.

On October 31, 2011, Carpenter's Pension Fund of Illinois moved
for appointment as lead plaintiff. On January 16, 2012, plaintiff
Hassan filed a motion to dismiss his individual claims without
prejudice on the basis that his interests are adequately
represented in the class action. At an initial pre-trial
conference held on January 31, 2012, the court entered an order
appointing Carpenter's Pension Fund of Illinois as lead plaintiff
and dismissing plaintiff Hassan's individual action. Pursuant to
the court-ordered schedule, on March 22, 2012, the lead plaintiff
filed an amended consolidated complaint (the "Complaint"). On May
7, 2012, the defendants filed a motion to dismiss the Complaint.


IMPERIAL SUGAR: Faces Suit over Louis Dreyfus Merger
----------------------------------------------------
Imperial Sugar Company faces a class action lawsuit challenging
its merger with Louis Dreyfus Commodities Subsidiary Inc.,
according to the Company's May 10, 2012 Form 10-Q filing with the
U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission for the quarterly period
ended March 31, 2012.

On May 1, 2012, the Company, LD Commodities Sugar Holdings LLC, a
Delaware limited liability company ("Parent"), and Louis Dreyfus
Commodities Subsidiary Inc., a Texas corporation and a wholly-
owned subsidiary of Parent ("Merger Sub"), entered into an
Agreement and Plan of Merger (the "Merger Agreement"), pursuant to
which, among other things, Merger Sub will commence a tender offer
(the "Tender Offer") to purchase all of the Company's issued and
outstanding shares of common stock, no par value per share,
including any associated right to purchase capital stock pursuant
to the Rights Agreement, at a price of $6.35 per share payable net
to the seller in cash, without interest (the "Offer Price"), and
subject to deduction for applicable withholding taxes. The Merger
Agreement also contemplates that, following completion of the
Tender Offer and subject to the terms and conditions of the Merger
Agreement, Merger Sub will be merged with and into the Company
(the "Merger"), with the Company surviving the Merger as a wholly-
owned subsidiary of Parent.

Between May 2, 2012 and May 10, 2012, a number of Imperial Sugar
shareholders filed derivative lawsuits in the Texas state district
courts, including Oshea v. Imperial Sugar Company, et al. (Fort
Bend Dist. Ct.); Smith v. Gaffney, et al. (Fort Bend Dist. Ct.);
Del Parigi v. Imperial Sugar Company, et al. (Fort Bend Dist.
Ct.); and Gruber v. Coan, et al. (Harris Dist. Ct.) In addition,
the Company is aware of at least one shareholder action that
purports to be a shareholder class action lawsuit, Kahn v.
Gaffney, et al. (Fort Bend Dist. Ct.).

The lawsuits assert claims for breach of fiduciary duty and abuse
of control against the Company and its directors, as well as
aiding and abetting claims against Louis Dreyfus Commodities LLC
and its affiliates, in connection with the proposed merger
announced on May 1, 2012. The shareholders challenge the fairness
of various provisions of the proposed transaction, including the
price that Company shareholders will be offered to tender their
shares, and the provisions of the Merger Agreement relating to the
possible termination of the transaction, the "no solicitation"
provision, and the "top-up" option provision. Plaintiffs also
allege that defendants breached their duty of candor to Company
shareholders by failing to disclose all material information about
the Transaction, and request certain disclosures under Texas law.
Plaintiffs' requests for relief include injunctive and declaratory
relief, as well as rescission, costs, attorneys' fees, and
disbursements.


JPMORGAN: Former Brokerage Client Files Class Action
----------------------------------------------------
Karen Freifeld, writing for Reuters, reports that a former
brokerage client has sued JPMorgan Chase & Co for allegedly
steering him and other investors to overpriced, underperforming
funds to boost the bank's fees and profits.

JPMorgan falsely represented its financial advisers were operating
under fiduciary duty to clients, while its bonuses encouraged the
sale of proprietary funds, according to the lawsuit, which seeks
class action status.

Jennifer Zuccarelli, a spokeswoman for New York-based JPMorgan
Chase, did not immediately return a call seeking comment.

The lawsuit, filed in New York state Supreme Court in Manhattan,
follows a report about JPMorgan's practices published on July 2 by
the New York Times.

According to the lawsuit, JPMorgan's marketing materials
highlighted "inflated, hypothetical returns," while suppressing a
"much less rosy" picture of performance.

JPMorgan, the largest U.S. bank, turned to proprietary funds and
investments to make up for declining profits after the housing
boom burst, according to the lawsuit. The strategy allowed
JPMorgan to collect double fees for management and sales, it said.

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, Financial Industry
Regulatory Authority and Manhattan District Attorney are among
those investigating JPMorgan's sales practices, according to the
lawsuit.

"We're looking at it," FINRA spokeswoman Nancy Condon said in an
interview.

SEC spokeswoman Judith Burns declined to comment, as did Joan
Vollero, a spokeswoman for the Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus
Vance.

The case is Alan H. Tralins v. JPMorgan Chase & Co, New York state
Supreme Court, No. 652448/2012, New York County.


MANNKIND CORP: Settlement Negotiations in Securities Suit Ongoing
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Settlement negotiations in a consolidated securities class action
lawsuit against MannKind Corporation are ongoing, according to the
Company's May 10, 2012 Form 10-Q filing with the U.S. Securities
and Exchange Commission for the quarterly period ended March 31,
2012.

Beginning January 31, 2011, several complaints were filed in the
U.S. District Court for the Central District of California against
the Company and four of its officers -- Alfred E. Mann, Hakan S.
Edstrom, Dr. Peter C. Richardson and Matthew J. Pfeffer -- on
behalf of certain purchasers of the Company's common stock. The
complaints include claims asserted under Sections 10(b) and 20(a)
of the Exchange Act and have been brought as purported shareholder
class actions. In general, the complaints allege that the
defendants violated federal securities laws by making materially
false and misleading statements regarding our business and
prospects for AFREZZA(R), thereby artificially inflating the price
of the Company's common stock. The plaintiffs are seeking
unspecified monetary damages and other relief. The complaints have
been transferred to a single court and consolidated for all
purposes. The court appointed a lead plaintiff and lead counsel
and a consolidated complaint was filed on June 27, 2011. On August
12, 2011, the Company filed a motion to dismiss the complaint and
a motion to strike the expert report attached to that complaint.
On December 16, 2011, the court denied the motions. On January 27,
2012, defendants filed a motion to stay the action and certify the
court's December 16 order for interlocutory appeal, or in the
alternative to reconsider. On March 2, 2012, the court denied both
motions. On April 30, 2012, the parties participated in a
mediation before the Honorable Layn Phillips. While the cases did
not settle at that mediation, settlement negotiations are
currently ongoing. At this time, the amount or range of reasonable
possible losses to which the Company may be exposed is not
expected to have a material impact on the financial statements.


MARICOPA COUNTY, AZ: Trial in Race Bias Class Action Commences
--------------------------------------------------------------
Jamie Ross at Courthouse News Service reports that evidence of
Sheriff Joe Arpaio's racial profiling, and statistics showing a
pattern of discriminatory traffic stops of Latinos were to be
presented July 19 in opening arguments of a class action trial,
plaintiff's attorneys said.

The Maricopa County Sheriff's Office "relied on race and
ethnicity" in its "suppression sweeps," singling out the
plaintiffs and other Latino passengers and drivers, according to
Andrew Byrnes of Covington and Burling, lead counsel for
plaintiffs in Melendres et al. v Arpaio et al., in Federal Court.

Most of the evidence will be "about the MCSO's policies as a
whole," including the "sheriff's utter refusal to utilize
generally accepted police practices in identifying, monitoring,
and training his staff in matters of racial profiling," Mr. Byrnes
said on July 16 in a press briefing.

"The MCSO has recklessly set up a dragnet for illegal immigrants,"
Cecillia Wang, director of the ACLU Immigrants' Rights Project,
said during the briefing.  Trial evidence "will focus very much on
what the top command at MCSO has done in regard to racial
profiling or not," Ms. Wang said.

Mr. Byrnes said Mr. Arpaio keeps a file of "fan mail," including
letters asking him to investigate Spanish-speakers in specific
neighborhoods or businesses.  He claimed that Mr. Arpaio makes
notes on the letters he gets, "that actions should be taken, and
in many cases law enforcement action is taking place shortly after
the sheriff is passing along these directions to his team."

One constituent asked Mr. Arpaio to investigate McDonald's
employees, writing the sheriff: "As a retiree in Sun City,
formerly from Minnesota, I am a fan of yours and what you are
doing to rid the area of illegal immigrants.  Those 'public
servants' and self-serving pro-illegals organizations who are
against you are just jealous and want their '15 minutes of fame'
in the media spotlight.

"Anyway, when I was in the McDonalds at Bell Road and Boswell,
(next to the Chase Bank) this noon, there was not an employee in
sight, or within hearing, who spoke English as a first language --
to my dismay.  From the staff at the registers to the staff back
in the kitchen area, all I heard was Spanish -- except when they
spoke haltingly to a customer.

You might want to check this out."

The name of the letter-writer is redacted in the exhibit.

Scrawled on top of the Aug. 1, 2008 letter, which plaintiffs'
attorneys released Monday, are the handwritten words: "Letter
Thank you for Info Will look into it cc Brian (For our Operation)"
(Parentheses in exhibit.)

Mr. Arpaio will be called to testify, Mr. Byrnes said.  The
plaintiffs are not seeking money damages, but an injunction to
stop the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office from exceeding its
authority, and from engaging in racial discrimination.

A copy of the First Amended Complaint in de Jesus, et al. v.
Arpaio, et al., Case No. 07-cv-02513 (D. Ariz.), is available at:

     http://www.courthousenews.com/2012/07/17/MelendresvArpaio.pdf

The Plaintiffs are represented by:

          David J. Bodney, Esq.
          Peter S. Kozinets, Esq.
          Isaac P. Hernandez, Esq.
          Karen J. Hartman-Tellez, Esq.
          STEPTOE & JOHNSON LLP
          Collier Center
          201 East Washington Street, Suite 1600
          Phoenix, AZ 85004-2382
          Telephone: 602 257-5200
          E-mail: dbodney@steptoe.com
                  pkozinets@steptoe.com
                  khartman@steptoe.com
                  ihernandez@steptoe.com

               - and -

          Daniel Pochoda, Esq.
          ACLU FOUNDATION OF ARIZONA
          P.O. Box 17148
          25 Phoenix, AZ 85011-0148
          Telephone: (602) 650-1854

               - and -

          Robin Goldfaden, Esq.
          Monica M. Ramirez, Esq.
          AMERICAN CIVIL LIBERTIES UNION FOUNDATION
          IMMIGRANTS' RIGHTS PROJECT
          39 Drumm Street
          4 San Francisco, CA 94111
          Telephone: (415) 343-0770

               - and -

          Kristina M. Campbell, Esq.
          Nancy Ramirez, Esq.
          MEXICAN AMERICAN LEGAL DEFENSE AND
          EDUCATIONAL FUND
          634 South Spring Street, 11th Floor
          Los Angeles, CA 90014
          Telephone: (213) 629-2512 x136


MERCEDES: Sued Over Deceptive Advertising on 2012 CLS 550s
----------------------------------------------------------
Courthouse News Service reports that Mercedes advertised, leased
and sold 2012 CLS 550s as having SiriusXM Weather and "active
parking guidelines" on rearview cameras as standard features, but
leased and sold "hundreds" of cars without them, a class action
claims in Los Angeles Superior Court.


MERCK & CO: Federal Appeals Court Revives Patent Class Action
-------------------------------------------------------------
Brent Kendall, writing for The Wall Street Journal, reports that a
federal appeals court on July 16 revived a class-action lawsuit
challenging an agreement between Merck & Co.'s Schering unit and a
generic drug maker that delayed a competing generic version of a
potassium supplement.

The ruling revived claims by drug wholesalers and retail
pharmacies that alleged they paid too much for the drug, K-Dur 20,
because of the delay in generic competition.

The decision also provided a boost to U.S. antitrust regulators,
who have waged a campaign against pharmaceutical patent
settlements that delay the introduction of generic drugs.

At issue was a 1997 deal in which Schering agreed to pay $60
million to Upsher-Smith Laboratories as part of a settlement in
which Upsher agreed to delay marketing a generic version of K-Dur
until 2001.

A trial court ruled for Schering and Upsher in pretrial
proceedings, saying the plaintiffs' antitrust claims couldn't
proceed because Schering's patent on the drug gave it the right to
enter into such settlements.

On July 16, the Third U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in
Philadelphia reversed that ruling.  The appeals court said judges
shouldn't be so quick to allow settlements in which a branded drug
maker pays a generic competitor to stay out of the market.

The court said such settlements on their face raised antitrust
concerns.  The court said drug makers could respond to those
antitrust concerns by showing that a drug settlement was not
reached to delay generic competition, or was entered into for some
other reason that promotes competition.

The appeals court sent the case back for further trial
proceedings.

The ruling deepens a split in the nation's appeals courts on how
to review drug-patent settlements. The U.S. Federal Trade
Commission for years has expressed hope the Supreme Court will
eventually agree to resolve the disagreement. The agency filed a
brief supporting the plaintiffs in the case.

The case is In Re: K-Dur Antitrust Litigation, 10-2077.


MORGAN STANLEY: Loses Bid to Dismiss MBS Class Action
-----------------------------------------------------
Jeff Overley, writing for Law360, reports that a New York federal
judge on July 16 refused to throw out a proposed class action
alleging Morgan Stanley & Co. Inc. misled institutional investors
by hawking shabby mortgage-backed securities that plummeted in
value, rejecting arguments the lawsuit wasn't filed quickly
enough.

The company argued the case should be dismissed because it wasn't
filed soon enough to comply with the Securities Act, which
requires certain complaints to be brought within one year of
investors learning about potentially deceptive practices.


REDDY ICE: Awaits Final Approval of Settlements in Antitrust Suits
------------------------------------------------------------------
Reddy Ice Corporation is awaiting final court approval of
settlements entered in several putative class action lawsuits
alleging violations of federal and state antitrust laws, according
to the Company's May 14, 2012 Form 10-Q filing with the U.S.
Securities and Exchange Commission for the quarterly period ended
March 31, 2012.

Beginning in 2008, a number of lawsuits, including putative class
action lawsuits, were filed against the Reddy Ice Holdings, Inc.,
Reddy Ice Corporation, Home City Ice Company, Arctic Glacier
Income Fund, Arctic Glacier, Inc. and Arctic Glacier
International, Inc., in various federal and state courts in
multiple jurisdictions alleging violations of federal and state
antitrust laws and related claims and seeking damages and
injunctive relief. One of the state court cases filed against the
Company was dismissed. Pursuant to an Order from the Judicial
Panel on Multidistrict Litigation, the other civil actions have
been transferred and consolidated for pretrial proceedings in the
United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan
(the "District Court"). Home City entered into a settlement
agreement with the direct purchaser plaintiffs that was approved
by the Court on February 22, 2011. On March 30, 2011, Arctic
Glacier announced that it had entered into a proposed settlement
agreement with the direct purchaser plaintiffs. That settlement
was approved by the Court on December 13, 2011. These putative
class actions in the District Court are currently stayed as to the
Company as a result of the filing of the Bankruptcy Cases. The
Company has reached a settlement agreement in principal with the
direct purchaser plaintiffs in the Bankruptcy Cases. That
settlement provides for a payment of $0.75 million upon
consummation of the settlement and an additional $0.25 million if
the sale with Arctic Glacier closes, all in return for release of
the Company and dismissal of all claims against the Company with
prejudice. The agreement is subject to the execution of final
settlement documents and Bankruptcy Court approval.

On May 25, 2011, the indirect purchaser plaintiffs filed a
Consolidated Class Action Complaint asserting violations of the
antitrust laws of various states and related claims. The Company
and the other defendants filed motions to dismiss the Consolidated
Class Action Complaint. Those motions were heard on October 28,
2011, and the Court granted in part and denied in part the motions
to dismiss on December 12, 2011. The Company filed an answer to
the remaining claims on December 27, 2011. Home City entered into
a proposed settlement agreement with the indirect purchaser
plaintiffs on or about March 7, 2012. That settlement is subject
to court approval. The Company has also entered into a proposed
settlement agreement with the indirect purchaser plaintiffs in the
Bankruptcy Cases. That settlement provides for a payment of $0.7
million in return for release of the Company and dismissal of all
claims against the Company with prejudice. The agreement further
provides for release of claims asserted in a putative class action
filed against certain current and former officers and directors of
the Company and for dismissal of that case with prejudice. The
agreement is subject to the execution of final settlement
documents and Bankruptcy Court approval. This case is stayed as to
the Company as a result of the filing of the Bankruptcy Cases. The
Bankruptcy Court granted preliminary approval of the settlement
agreement on May 11, 2012.


REDDY ICE: Still Awaits Approval of Suit Settlement in Canada
-------------------------------------------------------------
Reddy Ice Corporation is still awaiting court approval of a
settlement resolving the claims asserted in the putative class
action lawsuits pending in Canada, according to the Company's May
14, 2012 Form 10-Q filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange
Commission for the quarterly period ended March 31, 2012.

On March 1, 2010, a putative class action Statement of Claim was
filed against the Company in the Ontario Superior Court of Justice
in Canada alleging violations of Part VI of the Competition Act
and seeking general damages, punitive and exemplary damages, pre-
judgment and post-judgment interest, and costs. On March 8, 2010,
a putative class action Statement of Claim was filed against the
Company in the Court of Queen's Bench of Alberta, Judicial
District of Calgary, in Canada, alleging violations of Part VI of
the Competition Act and seeking general damages, special and
pecuniary damages, punitive and exemplary damages, interest and
costs.

Prior to the filing of the Company's Bankruptcy Cases, an
agreement had been reached to resolve the class actions filed in
Canada against Reddy Ice and Arctic Glacier, Inc. The agreement
provides that Arctic Glacier will pay C$2.0 million, all claims
asserted against Reddy Ice and Arctic Glacier in both Ontario and
Alberta will be dismissed, and Reddy Ice and Arctic Glacier will
be granted full and final releases with regard to those claims.
Reddy Ice is not making any payment in connection with this
settlement. The agreement is subject to the execution of final
settlement documents and court approval. The Company is unable to
predict what, if any, effect the filing of bankruptcy by Arctic
Glacier may have on this settlement. The Company believes those
class actions are stayed as to the Company as a result of the
filing of the Bankruptcy Cases.


REDDY ICE: Continues to Defend Securities Suit in Bank. Ct.
-----------------------------------------------------------
Reddy Ice Corporation continues to defend itself from a
consolidated putative securities class action lawsuit that was
transferred to bankruptcy court, according to the Company's May
14, 2012 Form 10-Q filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange
Commission for the quarterly period ended March 31, 2012.

Beginning on August 8, 2008, putative class action complaints were
filed in the United States District Court for the Eastern District
of Michigan asserting claims under the federal securities laws
against the Company and certain of its current or former senior
officers. On July 17, 2009, the Court consolidated the actions and
appointed a lead plaintiff and interim lead plaintiff's counsel.
The lead plaintiff filed a consolidated amended complaint on
November 2, 2009. That complaint purports to assert claims on
behalf of an alleged class of purchasers of the Company's common
stock and alleges that the defendants misrepresented and failed to
disclose the existence of, and the Company's alleged participation
in, an alleged antitrust conspiracy in the packaged ice industry.
On April 4, 2012, a tentative settlement agreement was reached
with the Plaintiffs pursuant to which the Company will pay $1.0
million in exchange for full and final releases of all claims
asserted against the Company and the individual defendants. That
agreement is subject to the execution of final settlement
documents and Bankruptcy Court approval. On April 18, 2012, an
order was entered by the United States District Court for the
Eastern District of Michigan transferring the stockholder
litigation to the United States District Court for the Northern
District of Texas. The United States District Court for the
Northern District of Texas subsequently referenced the case to the
Bankruptcy Court.


SACRAMENTO CITY UNIFIED: Teachers Mull Suit Over Layoff Policy
--------------------------------------------------------------
Melody Gutierrez, writing for The Sacramento Bee, reports that
educators and advocacy groups across the state are eyeing a class-
action lawsuit filed by dozens of laid-off Sacramento teachers who
say their school district unlawfully deviated from strictly
following seniority-based layoffs.

The lawsuit against the Sacramento City Unified School District is
the second in two years challenging the district's decision to
protect a handful of high-need campuses -- labeled Priority
Schools -- from the effects of teacher turnover by skipping less
senior teachers during layoffs.

Critics have argued that skipping at seven Priority Schools
negatively affects students at other campuses, including schools
with similar demographics as those that were protected.

The district's teachers union filed a similar suit last year.
That one and the one recently filed by 56 district employees are
assigned to Sacramento County Superior Court Judge Lloyd Connelly.

"I think this lawsuit will have implications on other school
districts across the state," said Catherine Lhamon, director of
impact litigation at Public Counsel, a Los Angeles civil rights
law firm that favors districts' ability to protect certain schools
from layoffs.

California law requires, in a time of budget-based layoffs, that
teachers with the least experience in a school district are the
first to go.  There are, however, two exceptions: Districts can
skip teachers to protect a student's right to an equal educational
opportunity or when teachers have special training and experience
necessary for a particular job.

Last year, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge William Highberger
ruled the Los Angeles Unified School District could protect 45 of
its lowest-performing schools from layoffs under the equal
educational opportunity exemption.

Judge Highberger ruled high turnover at those schools violated the
rights of student and limited the district's ability to make
improvements.

The Los Angeles Unified teachers union has challenged the decision
and an appellate ruling could come any day, said Ms. Lhamon, whose
firm filed the lawsuit on behalf of students at three middle
schools disproportionately hit by high turnover from layoffs.

Ideally, teachers wouldn't be laid off at any schools, Ms. Lhamon
said.  When they can't be avoided, school districts need to
acknowledge that layoffs hurt some students more than others, she
said.  Low-income, low-achieving schools typically have less
experienced teachers, causing higher turnover during seniority-
based layoffs.

But Sacramento City Teachers Association President Scott Smith
said skipping creates an unfair system that singles out certain
groups for special treatment.

"In some cases, I think skipping is warranted, such as Waldorf
(teachers).  They go through extensive training.

"But, when you have a program no one can define and say it should
be skipped, that's where we draw the line."

Sacramento City Unified first began skipping teachers last year at
Priority Schools, a label that Superintendent Jonathan Raymond
gave to seven of the district's lowest performing schools
designated to be in need of transformation.

The district argued those teachers had specialized training that
exempted them from seniority-based layoffs.  They teach at Oak
Ridge Elementary, Father Keith B. Kenny Elementary, Jedediah Smith
Elementary, Will C. Wood Middle, Fern Bacon Basic Middle, Rosa
Parks Middle and Hiram Johnson High.

An administrative law judge ruled last year that the district
could exempt staffs at most of the Priority Schools.

A different administrative law judge ruled in April that portions
of the district's argument for skipping at Priority Schools were
invalid.

The district's school board went ahead and skipped teachers at all
seven Priority Schools, which prompted 56 employees to file suit
last month, including many teachers who would not have been laid
off if not for skipping.

"My feeling is that all of our schools are high priorities," said
Nicole Baradat, a laid-off teacher at the high-achieving Sutter
Middle School.  "By turning over entire staffs at successful
schools we are doing no one a favor.  We will end up with a school
district of mediocre schools."

Ms. Baradat said she joined the lawsuit for one reason -- she
wants her job back.

"I could work in Priority Schools," she said.  "I have a lot to
offer.  Instead of laying me off, move me."

Some critics of skipping have questioned whether protecting seven
schools causes harm to other campuses with similar demographics.

"I don't understand skipping," said Christopher Gosney, a teacher
laid off at Rosemont High and one of the Sacramento City employees
who filed suit.  "I know for a fact that I'm a high-quality
teacher.  There are very few people that take on the
responsibility that I do . . . . Rosemont High needs to improve,
like all schools, and skipping is one reason we will be held
back."

Mr. Raymond, the district superintendent, said seniority-based
layoffs are among the issues that distract educators from doing
what's best for their students.

"If the public education system had a laser-like focus on what was
best for children and not what's best for adults, we wouldn't be
struggling the way we are nationally," he said.

Arun Ramanathan, executive director of Education Trust-West,
applauded Sacramento City Unified's decision to utilize skipping.
His organization has studied the effects of seniority-based
layoffs and concluded low-performing schools in poor neighborhoods
are disproportionately affected because they are staffed with the
least experienced teachers.

"We think purely seniority-based layoffs don't make sense,"
Mr. Ramanathan said.

Earlier this year, San Francisco Unified attempted to deviate from
seniority-based layoffs at 14 high-needs schools labeled the
Superintendent's Zone.  The San Francisco Unified school board
opted not to pursue the plan after an administrative law judge
said skipping would have been invalid.

"Our action in February was simply about protecting our
investments in some of our neediest schools -- it was not intended
as an attack on seniority, though some have called it that," said
Rachel Norton, vice president of the San Francisco school board.


SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS: Ct. Appoints Hagens Berman as Co-Lead Counsel
------------------------------------------------------------------
A federal judge on July 16 appointed Hagens Berman co-lead counsel
in a class-action lawsuit brought by consumers against a number of
smartphone manufacturers, including HTC Corporation (twse:2498),
HTC America, Inc. and Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. alleging that
millions of smart phones manufactured by the defendants included
key logging software developed by Carrier IQ Inc. ("CIQ").

Hagens Berman's complaint, filed Dec. 1, 2012, in the United
States District Court for the Northern District of California,
alleges that Carrier IQ's software, which is installed on millions
of Android-based smartphones, intercepts and records users' key
strokes -- including e-mail and text messages -- without their
permission.

"We are pleased the court agreed with our proposed structure for
this litigation," said Steve Berman, managing partner for Hagens
Berman.  "We intend to prove that CIQ and the other defendants
installed software that captured sensitive information and
violated the privacy of smartphone users across the United
States."

The allegations were first revealed last November when software
developer Trevor Eckhart published a video blog showing CIQ
software recording keystrokes, including information sent to
secure websites using the HTTPS security protocols.  Hagens
Berman's complaint alleges that the CIQ software violates federal
wiretapping laws.

United States District Judge Edward M. Chen selected Hagens Berman
and Pearson Simon as co-lead counsel to represent a proposed class
of consumers who own or owned a smartphone with the Carrier IQ
software installed.  The judge also appointed an executive
committee consisting of four additional law firms.

In his order appointing Hagens Berman co-lead counsel, the judge
noted that Hagens Berman and Person Simon, "present an especially
impressive set of qualifications with broad and deep experience in
handling large, complex litigation, and proven resources to
litigate this large, complex class action."

Seattle-based Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP --
http://www.hbsslaw.com-- is a nationwide class-action law firm
with offices in ten cities.


SKYPEOPLE FRUIT: Awaits Ruling on Bid to Dismiss Securities Suit
----------------------------------------------------------------
Skypeople Fruit Juice, Inc., is awaiting a court ruling on its
motion to dismiss a consolidated securities class action lawsuit,
according to the Company's May 14, 2012 Form 10-Q filing with the
U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission for the quarterly period
ended March 31, 2012.

On April 20, 2011, plaintiff Paul Kubala (on behalf of his minor
child N.K.) filed a securities fraud class action lawsuit in the
United States District Court, Southern District of New York
against the Company, certain of its individual officers and/or
directors, Yongke Xue and Xiaoqin Yan, and Rodman & Renshaw, LLC,
the underwriter of the Company's follow-on public offering
consummated in August 2010, alleging violations of Sections 10(b)
and 20(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the "Exchange
Act") and Rule 10b-5 promulgated thereunder. On June 20, 2011,
plaintiff Benjamin Padnos filed a securities fraud class action
lawsuit in the United States District Court, Southern District of
New York against the Company, all of its individual officers
and/or directors, Yongke Xue, Xiaoqin Yan, Norman Ko, John W.
Smagula, Spring Liu, Child Van Wagner & Bradshaw, PLLC, BDO
Limited and Rodman & Renshaw, LLC, the underwriter of the
Company's follow-on public offering consummated in August 2010,
alleging violations of Sections10(b) and 20(a) of the Exchange Act
and Rule 10b-5 promulgated thereunder. On August 30, 2011, the
court consolidated the foregoing two actions and appointed Zachary
Lewy as lead plaintiff.  On September 30, 2011, pursuant to the
Court's order, Lead Plaintiff filed a consolidated complaint,
which names the Company, Rodman & Renshaw, LLC, BDO Limited, Child
Van Wagoner & Bradshaw PLLC and certain of the Company's current
and former directors and majority shareholders as defendants and
alleges violations of Section 11 and 12 of the Securities Act of
1933 and Section 10(b) and 20(a) of the Exchange Act, and the
rules promulgated thereunder. In the consolidated complaint, the
plaintiffs are seeking to be awarded, among other things,
compensatory damages, reasonable costs and expenses incurred in
the action. On May 3, 2012, Lead Plaintiff voluntarily dismissed
the claims against BDO Limited and Child Van Wagoner & Bradshaw
PLLC.  The Company believes the allegations against the Company
are baseless and is contesting the case vigorously. In this
regard, the Company has filed a motion to dismiss the consolidated
complaint, which is currently under submission.  The company
believes the suit is without merit and is vigorously defending its
position and has made no accrual for any potential contingencies.


TIMMINCO LTD: Class Action Ruling Spurs Lawyers' Protest
--------------------------------------------------------
Barry Critchley, writing for Financial Post, reports that the
ground-breaking decision in the Timminco Ltd. class-action lawsuit
-- where the Ontario Court of Appeal ruled plaintiffs must
commence a suit within three years of an alleged misrepresentation
-- has spurred a group of law firms that specialize in secondary
market suits into action.

The firms -- Siskinds; Rochon Genova; Cavalluzzo Hayes Shilton
McIntyre & Cornish; Kim Orr Barristers and Koskie Minsky -- which
are backed by organizations that represent interests of retail and
institutional investors, have written to the Ontario government
and securities regulators' requesting changes be made in light of
the Timminco decision.

"We are of the view that the Timminco decision threatens to
substantially diminish the efficacy of the statutory civil
liability regime of Part XX111.1 [of the Ontario Securities Act]"
says the six-page letter that includes three attachments, one
dealing with 19 class-action suits that may be affected by the
Timminco decision, another dealing with the Timminco decision
itself and the other detailing proposed amendments to the Ontario
Securities Act.

"The interpretation of the limitation provision that the Court of
Appeal has espoused in Timminco will create a significant
incentive on the part of defendants and their counsel to lengthen
the litigation of the leave motion to the greatest extent that the
courts will tolerate," added the letter, which details the work
required to get a class-action law suit certified.

That work, particularly in a securities class-actions context, is
"particularly acute because there are often multiple defendants
(issuers, directors, officers, auditors, and other experts) who
are represented by different counsel," according to the letter.

The outcome of all this: the interests of investor are neglected.
"Investors' statutory claims should be decided on their merits,
and not on the basis of extraneous factors that are beyond the
control of plaintiffs and their counsel," states the letter.

Diane Urquhart, an independent financial analyst, agrees.  "A
three-year limitation period is not long enough and is half the
time period that the Ontario Securities Commission has to enforce
continuous disclosure in relation to misleading or untrue
statements."

The letter may be blessed by good timing.  Manitoba recently
introduced an amendment to its Securities Act pursuant to which
the limitation period under that province's equivalent of Part
XXIII.1 would not run from the time an application for leave is
filed to the time that the application is finally decided.

The letter was also written before a class-action lawsuit against
CIBC was thrown out by the Ontario Superior Court of Justice
because it was "time barred."  Were it not for the Timminco
decision, "I would have granted leave to pursue the statutory
cause of action and would have certified this action as a class
proceeding for that purpose," wrote Justice George Strathy.

The focus is now on the OSC, which has extra time and the
authority to take an enforcement action and seek orders in the
public interest.

Indeed, given the uncertainty surrounding the 19 class-action
lawsuits that may be affected, the ball is now in the OSC's court
given that investor protection and market integrity are its two
main duties.  The OSC has the authority -- without any legislative
change being required -- to intervene in any application for leave
to commence an action on misrepresentation in the secondary
market.  Now it has the opportunity to intervene in all 19 cases
-- the 17 pending plus Timminco and CIBC, the latter two of which
are or may be the subject of appeals.


TIM PARTICIPACOES: Continues to Defend Various Class Suits
----------------------------------------------------------
Tim Participacoes S.A. and its subsidiaries continue to defend
themselves from class action lawsuits asserting various claims in
various jurisdictions in Brazil, according to the Company's May
14, 2012 Form 20-F filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange
Commission for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2012.

The Company's subsidiaries are subject to a number of class action
claims where the risk of loss is regarded as probable. These
claims are summarized as follows: (1) a lawsuit against TIM
Celular in the State of Pernambuco, challenging the Company's
policy of exchanging defective handsets, which is alleged to be
contrary the manufacturer's warranty, (2) a lawsuit against TIM
Celular in Natal in the State of Rio Grande do Norte challenging
that state's network quality, (3) a lawsuit against TIM Celular in
the State of Para, challenging the service quality of the Sao
Felix do Xingu and Maraba networks, (4) lawsuits against TIM
Celular in the State of Maranhao, challenging the quality of the
services and networks in the following municipalities: Balsas,
Grajau, Coelho Neto, Vitorino Freire and Lago da Pedra,(5)
lawsuits against TIM Celular in the State of Ceara, challenging
service quality of the networks in Fortaleza, Iguatu, Monsenhor
Tabosa, Ico and Icapui, (6) lawsuits against TIM Celular in the
State of Piaui, challenging the service quality of the network in
that state, (7) lawsuits against TIM Celular in the State of
Rondonia, challenging the quality of the network and services in
the municipalities of Machadinho do Oeste and Vale do Anari, (8)
lawsuits against TIM Celular in the State of Amazonas, challenging
the quality of the network and services in that state, including
in Manaus, Tabatinga and Humaita, (9) lawsuits against TIM Celular
in the State of Mato Grosso, challenging the quality of the
network and services in Novo Sao Joaquim, Campinopolis and Nova
Xavantina, (10) a lawsuit filed against TIM Celular in the State
of Pernambuco, specifically in the municipality of Araripina, (11)
a lawsuit filed against TIM Celular, challenging the long-distance
charges levied on calls made in the municipality of Bertioga in
the State of Sao Paulo and in the surrounding region, and (12) a
lawsuit against TIM Celular in the State of Rio de Janeiro,
challenging the sending of SMS messages without prior consumer
consent.

There are four main class action lawsuits against subsidiaries
where the risk of loss is regarded as being probable: (i) a
lawsuit against TIM Celular in the State of Bahia with the aim of
obtaining a ban on charging long-distance rates for calls
originating and received between the towns of Petrolina, in the
State of Pernambuco, and Juazeiro, in the State of Bahia, due to
the existence of "state border areas"; and (ii) a lawsuit against
TIM Celular in the State of Rio de Janeiro, involving the
impossibility of charging a contract termination penalty in the
case of theft or robbery of handsets; (iii) a lawsuit filed by the
municipal consumer protection agency of Chapeco, Santa Catarina
against INTELIG, which questions non-compliance with Article 61 of
ANATEL Resolution 85 (retroactive charging); and (iv) a lawsuit
filed by the Public Prosecutor's Office in Uberlandia questioning
non-compliance with Article 61 of ANATEL Resolution 85
(retroactive charging).


TRIAD GUARANTY: Continues to Litigate Rescission Suit v. AHM
------------------------------------------------------------
Triad Guaranty Inc. continues to litigate its class action lawsuit
against American Home Mortgage seeking rescission of master
policies, according to the Company's May 11, 2012 Form 10-Q filing
with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission for the quarterly
period ended March 31, 2012.

On September 4, 2009, Triad filed a complaint against American
Home Mortgage ("AHM") in the United States Bankruptcy Court for
the District of Delaware seeking rescission of multiple master
mortgage guaranty insurance policies ("master policies") and
declaratory relief. The complaint seeks relief from AHM as well as
all owners of loans insured under the master policies by way of a
defendant class action. Triad alleged that AHM failed to follow
the delegated insurance underwriting guidelines approved by Triad,
that this failure breached the master policies as well as the
implied covenants of good faith and fair dealing, and that these
breaches were so substantial and fundamental that the intent of
the master policies could not be fulfilled and Triad should be
excused from its obligations under the master policies. Three
groups of current owners and/or servicers of AHM-originated loans
filed motions to intervene in the lawsuit, which were granted by
the Court on May 10 and October 29, 2010. On March 4, 2011, Triad
amended its complaint to add a count alleging fraud in the
inducement. On March 25, 2011, each of the interveners filed a
motion to dismiss. Triad filed its answer and answering brief in
opposition to the motions to dismiss on May 27, 2011 and the
interveners filed their reply briefs on July 13, 2011. The total
amount of risk originated under the AHM master policies,
accounting for any applicable stop-loss limits associated with
Modified Pool contracts and less risk originated on policies that
have been subsequently rescinded, was $1.3 billion, of which $0.7
billion remained in force at March 31, 2012.  Triad continues to
accept premiums and process claims under the master policies, with
the earned premiums and settled losses reflected in the
Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Loss.  However, as a
result of the litigation, Triad ceased remitting claim payments to
companies servicing loans originated by AHM and the liability for
losses settled but not paid is included in "Accrued expenses and
other liabilities" on the Company's Consolidated Balance Sheets.
Triad has not recognized any benefit in its financial statements
pending the outcome of the litigation.


US BANCORP: Settles ERISA Class Action for Nearly $10 Million
-------------------------------------------------------------
Django Gold, writing for Law360, reports that U.S. Bancorp Inc.
has agreed to pay out nearly $10 million to end class allegations
that its predecessor violated the Employee Retirement Income
Security Act by making changes to its pension plan that allegedly
shortchanged employees, in a settlement rubber-stamped in Illinois
federal court on July 16.

U.S. District Judge J. Phil Gilbert signed off on a $9.6 million
settlement through which U.S. Bancorp and its pension plan will
resolve a suit brought by bank workers who alleged their employer
violated ERISA.

                        Asbestos Litigation

ASBESTOS UPDATE: NY Ct. Reinstates Worker's Termination Claim
-------------------------------------------------------------
The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, First
Department, reinstated a worker's claim that he was wrongfully
terminated because of a disability, in violation of the State
Human Rights Law and the New York City Human Rights Law and gross
negligence.

Plaintiff William Jacobsen, who was diagnosed with pneumoconiosis,
an occupational lung disease allegedly caused by exposure to
asbestos dust, appealed from the motion court's order granting
defendant New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation's motion
for summary judgment.

In a July 10, 2012 decision, the Supreme Court pointed out that
the ordinary cloth dust mask that the defendant employer provided
the plaintiff during his employment was not the "reasonable
accommodation" envisioned by the statute.  The defendant employer
should have provided a specialized mask or respirator device
designed to filter and protect against airborne dust from known
toxins and potential carcinogens since the plaintiff is exposed to
asbestos dust on a daily basis.  The Supreme Court, however,
agreed with the motion court in dismissing the plaintiff's claim
of gross negligence since the action was not commenced until more
than three years after the claim accrued.

The case is WILLIAM JACOBSEN, Plaintiff-Appellant, v. NEW YORK
CITY HEALTH AND HOSPITALS CORPORATION, Defendant-Respondent, 6563,
103714/08 (N.Y.).  A copy of the July 10, 2012 Decision is
available at http://is.gd/AEMo3zfrom Leagle.com.


ASBESTOS UPDATE: 1st Cir. Junks Reinsurance Case v. Aviva
---------------------------------------------------------
In a case concerning a reinsurance dispute between an American
insurance company and a Canadian insurance company, the American
company, Plaintiff-Appellant OneBeacon America Insurance Company
claims that the Canadian company, Defendant-Appellee Aviva
Insurance Company of Canada is obligated to reinsure OneBeacon for
policies OneBeacon issued to Harrisons & Crosfield (Canada) Ltd.
in the early 1980s.  The issue came about when OneBeacon received
notice of lawsuits against Harrisons' U.S.-based subsidiaries for
asbestos-related injuries.  Both parties filed cross-motions for
summary judgment, and the district court denied summary judgment
to OneBeacon and granted summary judgment to Aviva.  OneBeacon now
appeals, challenging both summary judgment rulings.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit, in a July 11,
2012 decision affirmed the district court's denial of summary
judgment to OneBeacon and award of summary judgment to Aviva.  The
First Circuit explained there is no evidence that Aviva agreed to
provide reinsurance beyond the term of the first policy year,
hence OneBeacon is not entitled to judgment as a matter of law.

The case is ONEBEACON AMERICA INSURANCE COMPANY, Plaintiff,
Appellant, v. COMMERCIAL UNION ASSURANCE COMPANY OF CANADA n/k/a
AVIVA INSURANCE COMPANY OF CANADA, Defendant, Appellee, No.
11-2072 (1st Cir.).  A copy of the July 11, 2012 Decision is
available at http://is.gd/xoDRjxfrom Leagle.com.


ASBESTOS UPDATE: NY Court Remands PI Suit for Untimely Notice
-------------------------------------------------------------
Judge Shira A. Scheindlin of the United States District Court for
the Southern District of New York remanded an asbestos personal
injury lawsuit captioned PAUL LEVY and ROSLYN LEVY, Plaintiffs, v.
A. O. SMITH WATER PRODUCTS CO., et al., Defendants, No. 12 Civ.
5152 (N.Y.), to state court after determining that one of the
defendant's notice of removal was untimely.  A copy of Judge
Scheindlin's July 13, 2012 Order is available at
http://is.gd/sjzu5sfrom Leagle.com.


ASBESTOS UPDATE: Chase Corp. Continues to Defend PI Suits
---------------------------------------------------------
Chase Corporation in its Form 10-Q filing with the U.S. Securities
and Exchange Commission for the quarterly period ended May 31,
2012, disclosed it continues to defend asbestos-related lawsuits.

The Company is one of over 100 defendants in a lawsuit pending in
Ohio which alleges personal injury from exposure to asbestos
contained in certain Chase products.  The case is captioned Marie
Lou Scott, Executrix of the Estate of James T. Scott v. A-Best
Products, et al., No. 312901, in the Court of Common Pleas for
Cuyahoga County, Ohio.  The plaintiff in the case issued discovery
requests to Chase in August 2005, to which Chase timely responded
in September 2005.  The trial had initially been scheduled to
begin on April 30, 2007.  However, that date had been postponed
and no new trial date has been set.  As of May 2012, there have
been no new developments as this Ohio lawsuit has been inactive
with respect to Chase.

The Company was named as one of the defendants in a complaint
filed on June 25, 2009, in a lawsuit captioned Lois Jansen,
Individually and as Special Administrator of the Estate of Thomas
Jansen v. Beazer East, Inc., et al., No: 09-CV-6248 in the
Milwaukee County (Wisconsin) Circuit Court.  The plaintiff alleges
that her husband suffered and died from malignant mesothelioma
resulting from exposure to asbestos in his workplace.  The
plaintiff has sued seven alleged manufacturers or distributors of
asbestos-containing products, including Royston Laboratories
(formerly an independent company and now owned by Chase
Corporation).  Chase has filed an answer to the claim denying the
material allegations in the complaint.  The parties are currently
engaged in discovery and motion practice.

In addition, the Company is involved from time to time in
litigation incidental to the conduct of its business.  Although
the Company does not expect that the outcome in any of these
matters, individually or collectively, will have a material
adverse effect on its financial condition or results of
operations, litigation is inherently unpredictable.  Therefore,
judgments could be rendered or settlements entered, that could
adversely affect the Company's operating results or cash flows in
a particular period.  The Company routinely assesses all of its
litigation and threatened litigation as to the probability of
ultimately incurring a liability, and records its best estimate of
the ultimate loss in situations where the Company assesses the
likelihood of loss as probable.

Chase Corporation, through its subsidiaries, is a global
manufacturer of tapes, laminates, sealants, and coatings for high
reliability applications.


ASBESTOS UPDATE: 8-Year Abatement Conspiracy at NYPH Uncovered
--------------------------------------------------------------
Bill Singer, Forbes contributor, reports that an investigation by
the Department of Justice's Antitrust Division's New York Field
Office discovered evidence of an eight-year conspiracy that
engaged in bid rigging, fraud, bribery and tax-related offenses in
connection with the awarding of construction, maintenance and
service contracts for the purpose of asbestos abatement, air
monitoring and general construction by the facilities operations
department of New York Presbyterian Hospital.

Allegedly involved in the conspiracy to defraud the hospital were:
Michael Yaron and two companies owned by him -- Cambridge
Environmental & Construction Corp., which does business as
National Environmental Associates (Cambridge/NEA), an asbestos
abatement company, and Oxford Construction & Development Corp., a
construction company; Moshe Buchnik, the president of two asbestos
abatement companies; Santo Saglimbeni, a former vice president of
facilities operations at NYPH; Artech Corporation, a company owned
by a relative of Saglimbeni; and Emilio "Tony" Figueroa, a former
director of facilities operations at NYPH.

The investigation determined that Saglimbeni, with the assistance
of Figueroa, awarded asbestos abatement, air monitoring and
general construction contracts to Yaron, Buchnik, Cambridge/NEA
and Oxford in return for over $2.3 million in kickbacks paid to
Saglimbeni.  Thereafter, it was alleged that a portion of those
kickbacks were funneled by Yaron to Saglimbeni through Artech.
The feds characterized Artech as a sham company created by
Saglimbeni in order to conceal the kicbacks -- moreover,
Saglimbeni put the company in his mother's name.

Indictment

On April 27, 2010, a New York City federal grand jury returned an
Indictment charging Yaron, Cambridge Environmental & Construction
Corp., Oxford Construction & Development Corp, Buchnik, Figueroa,
Saglimbeni, and Artech with engaging in wire and mail fraud
conspiracies to defraud NYPH, starting as early as 2000 and
extending through at least January 2008; and with substantive wire
fraud as a result of the electronic transfers of money from the
bank account of one co-conspirator to the bank account of Artech
on or about May 5, 2005.

It was further alleged that from as early as June 2001 through
June 2006, Saglimbeni, Figueroa, and their co-conspirators engaged
in a mail fraud conspiracy, in which Saglimbeni and Figueroa
awarded contracts for the installation and repair of the Heating
Ventilation and Air Conditioning Systems ("HVAC") at NYPH to a
co-conspirator's company in return for cash kickbacks and other
valuable gifts given to Saglimbeni and Figueroa by that
co-conspirator.

Finally, Saglimbeni and Figueroa were also charged with mail fraud
as a result of causing NYPH to mail a payment on a fraudulently
awarded contract to a co-conspirator's company on or about May 5,
2005.

SIDE BAR: The mail and wire fraud violations that the individuals
are charged with each carry a maximum penalty of 20 years in
prison and a $1 million fine.  The maximum fine for the charges
may be increased to twice the gain derived from the crime or twice
the loss suffered by the victims of the crime, if either of those
amounts is greater than the statutory maximum fine.  The
Indictment also seeks the forfeiture of certain assets as they
relate to the kickbacks received in connection with the mail fraud
charges in the indictment.

Conviction

Previously, 10 individuals and three companies pleaded guilty to
charges arising out of this investigation.

After a four-week trial, on February 2, 2012, a Manhattan jury
convicted Yaron, Buchnik, Saglimbeni and Figueroa; and
Cambridge/NEA, Oxford Construction & Development Corp, and Artech
for conspiracy and wire fraud.

At sentencing on July 10, 2012, the Court handed down the
following:

     -- Yaron: 60 months in jail; $500,000 criminal fine.
     -- Cambridge/NEA and Oxford Construction: Each sentenced
        to pay a $1 million criminal fine.
     -- Moshe Buchnik: 48 months in jail and to pay a $500,000
        criminal fine for his role in the conspiracy.
     -- Artech Corp: $1 million criminal fine.

Saglimbeni and Figueroa are scheduled to appear in court on
July 31, 2012.

"The sentences imposed are consistent with the seriousness of the
crimes for which the individuals and companies were found guilty,"
said Acting Assistant Attorney General Joseph Wayland in charge of
the Department of Justice's Antitrust Division.  "T[he] sentences
hold accountable the unlawful conduct of those involved in illegal
kickback conspiracies."

Counts three and four of the Superseding Indictment charging
Saglimbeni and Figueroa with mail fraud conspiracy and mail fraud
were severed from the matter and is scheduled for trial in August
2012 in the U.S. District Court in Manhattan.  The defendants are
presumed innocent on those counts unless and until found guilty
beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

SIDE BAR: The wire fraud and wire fraud conspiracy charges each
carry a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for individuals and
a $1 million criminal fine for individuals and companies.  The
maximum fine may be increased to twice the gain derived from the
crime or twice the loss suffered by the victims of the crime, if
either of those amounts is greater than the statutory maximum
fine.

Bill Singer's Comment

After recently excoriating the Antitrust Division in "UPDATE:
LIBOR The Antitrust Division's Trojan Horse?" (" Street Sweeper"
July 3, 2012) -- and noting that the division is planning on
closing down four of its field offices in favor of a dubious plan
of consolidation in its Washington, DC headquarters -- it's nice
to see that justice was done to some truly bad guys who harmed
those most vulnerable among us: hospital patients and their
families.

The politics of regulation and prosecution is too often influenced
by a quest for headlines, and far too often those headlines
trumpet relatively meaningless victories that occur within the
context of a "high profile" industry.  All regulators and
prosecutors have limited funds and resources and are obligated to
triage their investigations and trials.  Unfortunately, too many
of those decisions are often influenced by considerations about
plumping up one's resume or getting face-time on television.

What I like about this reported case is that it strikes me as a
proper use of our nation's limited prosecutorial resources.  The
contracts involved in this case were, of all things, pertaining to
asbestos!  Not exactly an area where a contract should be awarded
based upon a kickback rather than competency and competitive bids.
Similarly, the asbestos at issue was in a hospital, as in a place
where there are folks battling illnesses and don't need the added
complication of asbestos particulate in the air.  Finally, about
the last thing that you want is to learn that those cleaning up
asbestos problems are bribing hospital agents to get the job --
which makes you wonder if those providers were compelled to take
short-cuts in order to cover the cost of the payoffs and bribes.


ASBESTOS UPDATE: Manning Returns to Co-chair Perrin's ALC
---------------------------------------------------------
Cooley Manion Jones LLP said John B. Manning, chair of CMJ's
Products Liability and Toxic Tort Defense Group, has been invited
to return as a co-chair and moderator at the upcoming Asbestos
Litigation Conference: A National Overview and Outlook, hosted by
Perrin Conferences, September 10th - 12th, 2012, at the Fairmont
Hotel in San Francisco, California.

A national leader in legal-based continuing education programs,
Perrin Conferences' National Asbestos Conference program is
designed to help attendees come away with a deeper understanding
of the trends currently driving asbestos litigation today and the
impact these trends will have on future cases.

"I am very proud to be a part of this conference because I
consider the events hosted by Perrin Conferences to be among the
best in the legal industry, based on the experience of the
speakers, the quality of the programming and the access you have
to network with key members of the judicial, legal, insurance and
scientific communities," said Manning.  This event marks Manning's
fourth consecutive year as a conference co-chair and moderator.

Lynnsey Perrin, founder of Perrin Conferences stated: "once again
we have selected John Manning to chair our National Asbestos
Conference for his proven expertise and leadership in asbestos
litigation.  John's experience and knowledge in managing multiple
asbestos litigation matters in jurisdictions across the country
makes him invaluable to our National Asbestos Conference."  As
National Coordinating Counsel for multiple products manufacturers,
Manning directs all aspects of the defense of over 200,000
asbestos lawsuits pending in all 50 states.

                     About Perrin Conferences

Founded in 2009, Perrin Conferences --
http://www.perrinconferences.com/-- brings together the foremost
talent in legal specialties and is committed to offering
conferences that assure the maximum career and business benefit to
attendees so that they receive the greatest return on their
investment.

                About Cooley Manion Jones LLP

With offices in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Delaware and
California, Cooley Manion Jones LLP -- http://www.cmjlaw.com/--
provides litigation defense representation to a wide range of
industries including products manufacturers, suppliers and
premises owners involved in high-stakes and mass tort litigation
in jurisdictions across the country.  CMJ's National Coordinating
Counsel and Litigation Management Practice is premised upon
delivering optimal value and results to its clients.  For more
information contact CMJ at 617-737-3100


ASBESTOS UPDATE: Advocates Gather for Ninth Annual Meso Symposium
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Tim Povtak of The Mesothelioma Center reports that the hallowed
halls of Congress were busier than usual Wednesday, July 11, were
covered with more than 20 groups of mesothelioma advocates who
spent the day lobbying politicians to fund a steady revenue source
for critically-needed research.

The advocates -- patients, family members, just friends of the
cause -- were gathered for the ninth annual Mesothelioma
Foundation Symposium.

Before it officially starts, though, there was the all-important
business of finding resources to help find a cure.  The effort was
organized by the Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation (MARF),
which was hosting the symposium.

"I think this is the most important thing we can do," said John
Anderson, who was accompanying wife Bonnie Anderson, a
mesothelioma survivor, on her numerous Congressional office visits
Wednesday.  "Without the resources, nothing will get done."

Bonnie Anderson, who was diagnosed with peritoneal mesothelioma in
2002, will receive the Bruce Vento Hope Builder Award this week
for her advocacy efforts.  She was instrumental in the efforts to
have Sept. 26 declared National Mesothelioma Awareness Day by
Congress and the MODDERN (Modernize Our Drug and Diagnostics
Evaluation and Regulatory Network) bill that was proposed earlier.

She, John and a MARF representative met with Rep. Leonard Lance
(R-New Jersey).  The Andersons also met with representatives for
five other New Jersey congressmen to make a similar pitch.  Some
of the meetings were prearranged.  Some were spur-of-the-moment,
cold calls that worked.

"This is what we do," Bonnie said.  "Most people don't realize the
effect you can have on politicians.  You have to ask.  They don't
always agree with you, but they will listen."

The Anderson's regularly talk with legislators in their home
offices, but at least once each year do it in Washington.

          Trip to Capitol Hill About Research Funding

The gist of Wednesday's lobbying efforts by MARF was a request for
a $5 million dedicated funding stream from the Department of
Defense, based on the disproportionate amount of military veterans
who are being diagnosed with mesothelioma.

An estimated 3,000 Americans annually are diagnosed with the
deadly cancer, and approximately one-third of those are veterans,
usually stemming from the inordinate amount of asbestos used by
the military in the 20th century.  Asbestos is the only confirmed
cause of mesothelioma.

Federal funding for mesothelioma has dropped in recent years.  In
2011, it competed with numerous other diseases for a share of a
$16 million allotment.  In 2012, it competed for a pot of $12
million.

The lack of research money available is a major reason why the
progress in fighting the cancer has been so slow.  There is only
one approved treatment regime that extends average survival by
just three months, according to MARF.

Although the latency period between exposure to asbestos and
obvious mesothelioma symptoms is long (10 to 50 years), the life
expectancy after diagnosis is short (six to 18 months).

"I'm here because I care," said Barbara Walter, whose father
Martin Walter died of mesothelioma 15 years ago.  "Research
funding is so important."

Walter spent the day visiting congressional representatives from
her home state of New York, including Sen. Charles Schumer (D-New
York).

Another small group of advocates from Florida met with aides for
Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Florida) and Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Florida).

"I get it," said Sally Canfield, deputy chief of staff for policy
in Rubio's office, after listening to a brief lobbying effort.
Canfield has visited Libby, Montana, the small town devastated by
the effects of asbestos mining, which led to thousands of
mesothelioma cases.  "I understand."

While husband John was wearing a t-shirt with the United States
Constitution on the front, Bonnie was wearing a "Cure Meso," shirt
which caught the attention of a former New York fireman who was in
town on other business.  He explained to her his recent diagnosis
of mesothelioma.  He was a first responder at the World Trade
Center 9/11 terrorist attack, where an estimated 400 tons of
asbestos fibers were in the air.

"This problem isn't going away anytime soon," Bonnie said.  "We
have to keep working, keep educating people."


ASBESTOS UPDATE: Aqua America Faces Fine for Each Day of Breaches
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Tara Zrinski for Timesonline.com reports that at 7 a.m. June 13,
the day after police escorted 35 activists from the Riverdale
Mobile Home Village, the demolition company Alan K. Meyers went to
work clearing the colorful barricades, abandoned trailers and all
traces of a two-week protest that brought national attention to
the plight of dozens of families being displaced by an aggressive
natural gas industry.

As a result of the protest, Aqua America, which had purchased the
mobile home park along the Susquehanna River in Pennsylvania's
Lycoming County, allowed six families to remain an additional
month while they made arrangements to move.

"We felt for the people, so we did what we thought was the right
thing to ease the transition while they were moving out," said
Donna Alston, communications manager for Aqua America, which is
converting the 12-acre trailer park into a water shipment facility
to supply water for the controversial natural gas drilling
procedure called fracking.  "It became clear that the former owner
(Richard "Skip" Leonard) had given them inadequate time to
relocate."

Residents had received a letter of immediate termination of their
leases from Leonard on Feb. 23, the day Leonard sold the land to
Aqua America.  They were given incentives of $2,500 to move by
June 1.  Most did, but they were replaced by protesters from
across the country, who camped out at the park until a settlement
was reached with the other half-dozen families.

"The remaining residents engaged North Penn Legal Services, and we
reached an amicable solution, the details of which cannot be
disclosed," Alston said Monday.  "No one has been evicted."

But as of July 12, everyone has to be out.

A former resident who left before June 1 said the six families
received $12,500 each in their settlements, significantly more
than the $2,500 incentive provided to the 32 other families that
left prior to the activists' 12-day occupation of Riverdale.
Considering the cost of moving a trailer is about $8,000 to
$12,000, this larger amount would cover the expense of moving a
home, time off from work and rental fees, said the resident, who
did not want to be identified.

But Wendy Lynne Lee, a professor at Bloomsburg University who
participated in the protest, said the six families could fare
worse in the long run.

Those families might have been exposed to asbestos while the
trailer park was demolished around them.

"If the agreement the residents are being pressured to sign
includes a nondisclosure clause that stipulates the residents can
never sue . . . on any grounds, then the residents could not sue
on the grounds they were exposed to asbestos," said Lee.

Exposure to asbestos is a health risk, the potential dangers of
which are not visible for several years after exposure but include
respiratory problems, mesothelioma and lung cancer.

Lee said she alerted the Williamsport Office of the Department of
Environmental Protection in June about the potential threat of
improper asbestos demolition.

"When I spoke to . . . the DEP agent at the Williamsport DEP
office for air-quality control, he did not know that there were
any people still living in the park when the demolitions began,"
Lee said Monday, July 9.

Lee claims that proper asbestos investigations of abandoned
trailers never occurred and that the demolition had been going on
for more than two weeks while residents cleared their trailers,
packed their possessions and made new living arrangements.

In an e-mail reporting on her communications with the DEP, Lee
wrote, "I have been informed that Alan K. Meyers -- one of the
subcontracting demolition companies -- has been directed to
'corrective action'; that is, to suspend further demolitions until
the park has been completely vacated."

"(The DEP) doesn't issue anything called corrective action," Dan
Spadoni, community relations coordinator with the North Central
Regional Office of the DEP, said.  "That is not in our realm of
responsibility.  We don't regulate the demolition of those
trailers."

But on Tuesday, July 10, Spadoni confirmed that the DEP had
received a report from a concerned citizen on June 21 "regarding
issues related to asbestos abatement and demolition in the
Riverdale Mobile Home Park."  The matter, he said, is still under
investigation, and no enforcement has been taken.

Spadoni said the investigation might conclude by the end of July,
but he declined to speculate on potential fines if proper asbestos
demolition procedures were not followed.  According to the federal
Clean Air Act, potential fines could cost Aqua America thousands
of dollars for each day of violations if the investigation shows
the demolition did not follow proper asbestos removal procedures.


ASBESTOS UPDATE: Mesothelioma Confirms Exposure of Retired Army
---------------------------------------------------------------
Carmella de Lucia of the Ellesmere Port Pioneer reports that a
retired father-of-five died decades after being exposed to
asbestos, an inquest heard.

More than 50 years after William Griffin, of James Avenue, Great
Sutton, worked as a joiner at various building yards, he
contracted mesothelioma, a lung cancer resulting from exposure to
asbestos.

The 77-year-old died at the Hospice of the Good Shepherd on
November 23, 2011, following months of breathing difficulties and
radiotherapy treatment.

The inquest, held at Chester Magistrates Court heard how Mr.
Griffin had left school in 1949 at the age of 15 to begin a five-
year apprenticeship at J Richards Building Services in Shropshire,
where he came across 'a small amount of asbestos'.

He later left to serve in the Army abroad, where he was not
exposed to any harmful substances, but when he returned and got a
job at Cammell Laird in 1959 he was again working with asbestos.

Other jobs followed, at construction company Wimpeys, and a brief
stint at Shell, where he was a concreter, but in the late 1960s
Mr. Griffin became self-employed, doing subcontracting work on
houses and pubs.

The inquest heard that during this period he was exposed to a
significant amount of asbestos.

Mr. Griffin's partner, who was with him for about six years after
the death of his wife, said that generally, he had been in good
health but in 2010 began complaining of a persistent cough.

He had also been suffering from erratic breath sounds, insomnia
and ankle swelling.

A chest X-ray later revealed a plural infusion on the lung and he
underwent radiotherapy at Clatterbridge Hospital.

However, his symptoms worsened, and on November 13 last year he
was transferred to the Hospice of the Good Shepherd, where he died
10 days later.

Recording a verdict of metastatic mesothelioma, assistant deputy
coroner for Cheshire Michael Wallbank said he was 'strongly'
satisfied asbestos caused Mr. Griffin's death from the industrial
disease.

He said: "It is clear Mr. Griffin had quite a degree of exposure
to asbestos over the years and in the last few months of his life
his conditions deteriorated significantly."


ASBESTOS UPDATE: 48 Loudwater Housing Properties Tested for Fibro
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Simon Farr for Bucks Free Press reports that asbestos tests are
being carried out at a housing scheme in Loudwater after fibers
were discovered during a routine survey.

Experts from Red Kite Community Housing are into their second day
of testing the 48 properties in Barley Fields.

Two tenants have already been put up in temporary accommodation
and areas of their homes sealed off after fibers were discovered
on Tuesday, July 10.

Red Kite spokesman Zosia Katnik said residents were being kept
informed about the "potential risk" and added the organization,
which took over the running of council homes last year, was "being
a responsible landlord."

She said: "When we took over we wanted to take stock of all of our
properties and brought in Savills to carry out a survey, it isn't
a legal requirement.

"We have been here since Monday(July 9) -- tenants were not given
any notice because we wanted to door knock and explain to them
what was going on face-to-face so they could ask us any questions.

"We are air testing and sealing off any areas for further
investigation, but it is important to stress this isn't a scare
but we are just being responsible."

She added that any asbestos in tenant homes would be removed and
information packs have been given to every tenant and lease
holder.

But lease holder Gloria Owen fears she is being treated
differently to tenants after her pack did not contain a letter
which suggests tenants inform their GPs about a potential exposure
to asbestos.

She said: "I have emphysema, so I would have been quite glad to
get a letter telling me to contact my doctor -- that's the bit
that's made me the angriest about this situation.

"There are people here with children, I currently have my daughter
and grandchild here, if I'm living in a lethal house I want to
know about it."

Miss Katnik said Red Kite has "different responsibilities to
tenants" but every resident in Barley Fields would be spoken to
about the work.

She said lease holders are responsible for any work to their
properties and added the letter suggesting tenants contact their
GPs was purely for updating their medical records, not because of
an immediate health risk.


ASBESTOS UPDATE: NY Lawyer Supports New Lung-Sparing Treatment
--------------------------------------------------------------
New York mesothelioma lawyer Joseph W. Belluck expressed optimism
on July 13, in reaction to a recent report on an innovative, lung-
sparing strategy that is being used by doctors at the University
of Pennsylvania to treat patients with pleural mesothelioma.

The Philadelphia Inquirer reported on the new treatment method
being used by thoracic surgeon Joseph S. Friedberg and his team at
the University of Pennsylvania.  The method also was recently
featured in The Annals of Thoracic Surgery medical journal.

According to the Inquirer, patients with pleural mesothelioma -- a
rare, incurable form of cancer that is linked to asbestos exposure
-- typically die within a year of diagnosis.

However, 27 of 38 patients treated by Friedberg and his team --
all of whom were suffering advanced-stage cancer at the time of
treatment -- have survived beyond two years, with four patients
reaching five years.  All underwent the lung-sparing procedure.

"This is encouraging news that gives hope to mesothelioma victims
and their families," said Belluck, a partner in the nationally
recognized New York personal injury firm of Belluck & Fox, LLP,
who focuses on mesothelioma and other asbestos-related cases.  "We
look forward to seeing more developments involving this treatment
method."

Pleural mesothelioma arises from asbestos fibers becoming lodged
in the thin membrane encasing the lungs.  Victims often are
exposed to asbestos while working as plumbers, pipefitters,
insulators, electricians, mechanics and certain other occupations.
A question frequently posed in mesothelioma lawsuits is whether
the victim's employer knew of the dangers of asbestos exposure but
continued to place employees at risk.

Mesothelioma symptoms, such as coughing and difficulty with
breathing, tend to develop decades after the initial asbestos
exposure.

"We've seen how devastating this disease can be," Belluck said.
"That's why our firm is excited to hear of advances such as those
at the University of Pennsylvania."

The treatment is known as "radical pleurectomy."  In contrast to a
mesothelioma treatment method known as "extrapleural
pneumonectomy," the patient's lungs are preserved while surgeons
operate to remove the disease.

The patients also undergo photodynamic therapy, which combines a
cancer cell-destroying drug with laser light therapy.

According to the Inquirer, Friedberg has found that patients with
two lungs who have undergone the light therapy have been
physically better able to cope with a relapse of the cancer.  "The
cancer comes back more like a house cat than a tiger," the
newspaper quotes Friedberg as saying.

Belluck encouraged those diagnosed with mesothelioma to research
all possible treatment options and seek out mesothelioma
specialists such as Dr. Friedberg.

He also said it is important for victims and their families to
contact an attorney to learn more about their legal rights if they
believe their disease was caused by workplace asbestos exposure or
from consumer products.

                  About Belluck & Fox, LLP

Belluck & Fox, LLP, is a nationally recognized law firm that
represents individuals with asbestos and mesothelioma claims, as
well as victims of crime, motorcycle crashes, lead paint and other
serious injuries.  The firm provides personalized and professional
representation and has won more than $500 million in compensation
for clients and their families.

Partner Joseph W. Belluck is AV-rated by Martindale-Hubbell and is
listed in Best Lawyers in America, New York Magazine's "Best
Lawyers in the New York Area" and in Super Lawyers.  Mr. Belluck
has won numerous cases involving injuries from asbestos, defective
medical products, tobacco and lead paint.

Partner Jordan Fox is a well-known asbestos and mesothelioma
attorney who has been named to the Best Lawyers in America, New
York Magazine's "Best Lawyers in the New York Area" and to Super
Lawyers.  On two separate occasions his verdicts were featured as
the National Law Journal's Largest Verdict of the Year.

Belluck & Fox, LLP, is featured on the list of America's best law
firms, which was published jointly by U.S. News & World Report and
Best Lawyers magazine.  The listing showcases 8,782 different law
firms ranked in one or more of 81 major practice areas.

The firm's New York City office is located at 546 Fifth Avenue,
4th Floor, New York, NY, 10036 (local phone (212) 681-1575).  For
more information, contact the firm at (877) 637-6843 or through
its online contact form.


ASBESTOS UPDATE: Health Minister Ranks Fibro With Tanning Salons
----------------------------------------------------------------
Michelle Lalonde of The Montreal Gazette reports that a few months
before Premier Jean Charest's cabinet approved a $58-million loan
to restart the asbestos industry, Quebec's health minister wrote
that asbestos, tanning salons and cigarettes are all considered in
the same category of "highest cancer risk to humans."

In a letter to a cabinet colleague obtained by Le Soleil
newspaper, Yves Bolduc made the comment in the context of his
support for a petition by the Canadian Cancer Society calling for
tighter regulations on minors using tanning salons.

"In July of 2009, the International Agency for Research on Cancer
put UV-emitting tanning beds in the category of the highest cancer
risks to humans, at the same level as cigarettes or asbestos,"
Bolduc wrote in a letter to government House Leader Jean-Marc
Fournier four months ago.

On June 29, 2012, the Liberal government announced it would grant
a $58-million loan to the owners of the Jeffrey Asbestos Mine in
Asbestos to enable an underground expansion and reopening of that
mine.

Natacha Joncas Boudreau, Bolduc's press attach‚, confirmed
Bolduc's comments Friday, July 13, but said they are perfectly
consistent with the government's long-standing support of the
asbestos industry.

"There is no contradiction, because nobody is denying there are
risks involved with all three of these things, but none of them
are banned or illegal.  We put regulations in place to reduce risk
and that is what we have done with tanning salons and with
asbestos," she said, adding the government brought in a law last
month barring minors from tanning salons.

Quebec's medical establishment has been calling for an end to
Quebec's use and export of asbestos, echoing calls by the World
Health Organization and the Canadian Medical Association.

Dr. Fernand Turcotte, professor emeritus of public health and
preventive medicine at Universit‚ Laval, said the minister's
comments are baffling.

"Restarting the Jeffrey Mine is a tragedy for human health across
the planet," he said.

"As for the minister's comments, these are three sources of cancer
that require very different types of intervention.  In the case of
asbestos, there is a clear, unanimous, international scientific
consensus that the best course of action is to stop using it," he
said.

He noted there is some element of choice involved in using tanning
beds and smoking (although he noted addiction complicates the
notion of choice in the latter case), while asbestos is an
environmental pollutant.

"Asbestos stopped being simply a workplace health hazard decades
ago and is now a worldwide public health disaster," he said.

He said government inspectors should systematically tour all
public buildings that contain asbestos to ensure they are safe.
These buildings should also be clearly signed, so that workers are
aware of the risk when renovations are required and so that those
who frequent these buildings can take action when deterioration
poses a health risk.

The Quebec natural resources minister's assurances that companies
in developing countries that buy Quebec's asbestos will be
informed and monitored, to ensure it is handled safely, are
unconvincing, he said.


ASBESTOS UPDATE: Baron and Budd Relates 2010 $11 Million Verdict
---------------------------------------------------------------
In March 2010, Baron and Budd obtained an $11 million verdict for
the family of a mesothelioma patient.  Vernon Walker, a
mesothelioma patient and career painter, and his wife, Patsy
Walker, were the plaintiffs in the lawsuit.  Baron and Budd
mesothelioma attorneys John Langdoc and Alana Kalantzaki
represented the Walkers and proved that Mr. Walker's mesothelioma
was caused by his work with asbestos-containing painting products
despite continued asbestos industry arguments that certain types
of asbestos are "safe." (Vernon Walker Sr., et al., Plaintiffs, v.
RPM International, Inc., et al., Defendents, District Court of
Harris County TX, No. 2009-52642).

Mr. Walker, 67, began his career stocking the shelves at a local
grocery store for a modest 50 cents an hour. Mr. Walker became a
union painter and was able to triple his salary.  As a painter he
worked in the construction of homes, skyscrapers and strip malls.
Mr. Walker was exposed to numerous asbestos containing painting
products, including texturing paints, block fillers and drywall
compounds, through his work.  Some of the materials he used were
banned by the Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC) in 1978
as being "unreasonably dangerous" and likely to cause cancers such
as mesothelioma from exposure.  While the CPSC instructed the
asbestos industry that use of these products as few as four times
would result in thousands of superfluous cancers, commercial
painters like Mr. Walker worked with the contaminated products
most workdays before the products were banned.

"The asbestos industry has spent decades developing false science
used to argue that asbestos is safe," said mesothelioma attorney
John Langdoc -- jlangdoc@baronbudd.com  "Asbestos industry
witnesses in this case continued to push asbestos industry false
science that the shape or the length or even the mining location
of the asbestos fibers sold by these companies meant they could
not cause cancer, which has been rejected by every mainstream
scientific organization in the world, and fortunately rejected by
this jury."

Mr. Walker and his wife were awarded roughly $11 million by the
jury.  Dow Chemical subsidiary Union Carbide was apportioned 40%
of the blame, with the remaining liability falling on
manufacturers Kelly Moore, Georgia Pacific and Bondex.  Many of
the companies reached a settlement before or during trial.  Bondex
was the sole remaining defendant when the final verdict was
reached.

Learn more about mesothelioma lawsuits at Baron and Budd's Web
site http://baronandbudd.com/or visit the firm's dedicated
mesothelioma Web site http://www.mesotheliomanews.com/

                   About Baron & Budd, P.C.

Dallas-based Baron & Budd, P.C., with offices in Baton Rouge,
Austin and Beverly Hills, is a nationally recognized law firm with
more than three decades of experience representing people and
communities harmed by corporate negligence.  The firm resolved one
of the first asbestos cases in the United States in the 1970s and
continues to serve people diagnosed with mesothelioma and
asbestos-related lung cancer.


ASBESTOS UPDATE: Ex-Steelman Got Payout 2 Years Before His Death
----------------------------------------------------------------
The Citizen at thisisgloucestershire.co.uk reports that an 82-
year-old Forest of Dean man's death was caused by his contact with
asbestos during his long working life as a steel erector, a
coroner has ruled.

Bryan Harris, of Horsepool, Berry Hill, had received a
'substantial' compensation payout two years before his death from
pulmonary asbestosis, the Gloucester inquest was told on Tuesday,
July 10.

In statements he made to pursue his legal claim, Mr. Harris told
how he worked at a variety of sites including Dowty in Cheltenham,
the Gloucester Railway Carriage and Wagon company, Rank Xerox in
Mitcheldean, and firms in Cardiff and Swansea.

He described how he would often come into contact with corrugated
asbestos roofs and wall panels while erecting steel frames to
extend buildings.

The dust from the asbestos sheets would get onto his clothes, hair
and skin during the work, he said.

The asbestos was usually blue -- the more dangerous kind.

"He says he was never advised about the dangers of inhaling
asbestos dust," said Gloucestershire deputy coroner David Dooley.

"Employees at that time were not aware it was dangerous.  All they
knew was that it was a very effective fire retardant.

"From 1953 to 1976 and again from 1979 to 1986 he was in regular
contact with asbestos at various sites."

Mr. Harris's widow, Abigail, 57, said they had been together since
she was 17.  Two years ago, she said, he received a substantial
sum of compensation after he had been confirmed as a victim of
asbestosis.

"Since diagnosis he was in and out of hospital with pneumonia,
septicaemia and chest infections," she said.  "Some time before
his death he developed a severe chest infection and I was with him
at home at 11.06am on April 22 this year when he died."

Mr. Harris said in his statement that from 1986 he noticed his
chest was tight and he was coughing.  From Christmas 2005 his
condition worsened and he saw a specialist in August 2006 when he
was told he might have asbestosis.

A verdict of industrial disease was recorded.


ASBESTOS UPDATE: Sherborne School and Contractor Fined GBP89,000
----------------------------------------------------------------
The Dorset Echo reports that a Sherborne School and a company
director have been prosecuted for failing to protect workers and a
student from asbestos.

Several workers including a teenage work experience student were
exposed to asbestos fibers in a refurbishment project at the large
independent school.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) prosecuted Sherborne School
and Peter Eldridge, the director of a company responsible for the
refurbishment project, after an investigation found they had
failed to identify and prevent the risk of asbestos exposure.

Asbestos insulation boards were removed in an unsafe way, exposing
the workers to fibers, and leaving them at risk of developing
serious and potentially fatal diseases later in life, Dorchester
Crown Court heard.

A Health and Safety Executive investigation found that from the
initial design stages in May 2008 right through to undertaking the
construction work in July 2009, there was inadequate planning and
a failure to carry out a full asbestos survey.

This was despite the fact that a sample taken from the building in
2008 had identified its presence and asbestos had previously been
removed from other parts of the school.

Sherborne School was found guilty of breaching regulations and
fined a total of GBP60,000 and ordered to pay GBP13,000 in costs.

Peter Eldridge, of Long Street, Sherborne, was found guilty of
breaching a section of the Health and Safety at Work Act and other
regulations.  He was fined a total of GBP10,000 with costs of
GBP6,000.


ASBESTOS UPDATE: B&F Cases Among Top New York Verdicts From 2011
----------------------------------------------------------------
The New York personal injury lawyers of Belluck & Fox, LLP, are
pleased to announce that two mesothelioma verdicts the firm
obtained for clients in 2011 have been featured in a special
double section of New York Magazine.

The recently published section is entitled, "New York Law Journal
Presents: New York's Top Verdicts & Settlements."  According to
the magazine, the section "ranks lawyers and their extraordinary
accomplishments by one of the most clear-cut quantifications of
talent possible -- the monetary value of their jury verdict
awards."  The list of top New York verdicts from 2011 was compiled
in conjunction with the national database, VerdictSearch.

The $32 million verdict that Belluck & Fox, LLP, obtained in the
case of Dummitt v. A.W. Chesterton (No. 190196/10) placed No. 4 on
the list.  It was the top product liability verdict in New York
state in 2011.  The case involved a U.S. Navy veteran who claimed
that he was exposed to asbestos while repairing valves aboard
seven U.S. Navy ships between 1960 and 1977.

The $19.5 million verdict in the case of Konstantin v. 630 Third
Avenue Associates (No. 190134/10) placed No. 10 overall and ranked
as the top construction law verdict in New York state in 2011.
The plaintiff in the case claimed that he inhaled asbestos
released from joint-sealing compounds while working on the
construction of a high-rise building in Manhattan during a period
between 1976 and 1977.

Founding partner and veteran New York mesothelioma attorney Jordan
Fox led the Belluck & Fox legal team in securing both verdicts in
August 2011 in New York Supreme Court before Judge Joan Madden.
Senior litigator James Long, partners Brian Belasky and Seth
Dymond and associate William Papain assisted Fox over the course
of the two nine-week trials.

"We are proud to have aggressively represented our clients in
these cases and to have obtained justice on their behalf," Fox
said.

Mesothelioma is a rare cancer that affects the lining of the chest
and abdomen.  It is linked to exposure to asbestos, a naturally
occurring heat- and fire-resistant fibrous mineral.  Asbestos has
been used in a variety of industrial machinery and equipment, and
in consumer products.

Mesothelioma victims typically show disease symptoms years or even
decades after exposure to asbestos in an industrial or
manufacturing workplace.  The disease is eventually fatal, but
aggressive therapy may prolong the lives of patients who are
diagnosed early.

                     About Belluck & Fox, LLP

Belluck & Fox, LLP, is a nationally recognized law firm that
represents individuals with asbestos and mesothelioma claims, as
well as victims of crime, motorcycle crashes, lead paint and other
serious injuries. The firm provides personalized and professional
representation and has won more than $500 million in compensation
for clients and their families.

Partner Joseph W. Belluck is AV-rated by Martindale-Hubbell and is
listed in Best Lawyers in America, New York Magazine's "Best
Lawyers in the New York Area" and in Super Lawyers.  Mr. Belluck
has won numerous cases involving injuries from asbestos, defective
medical products, tobacco and lead paint.

Partner Jordan Fox is a well-known asbestos and mesothelioma
attorney who has been named to the Best Lawyers in America, New
York Magazine's "Best Lawyers in the New York Area" and to Super
Lawyers.  On two separate occasions his verdicts were featured as
the National Law Journal's Largest Verdict of the Year.

In September, Belluck & Fox, LLP, won a coveted spot on a list of
America's best law firms, which was published jointly by U.S. News
& World Report and Best Lawyers magazine.  The listing showcased
8,782 different law firms ranked in one or more of 81 major
practice areas.

The firm's New York City office is located at 546 Fifth Avenue,
4th Floor, New York, NY, 10036 (local phone (212) 681-1575).  For
more information, contact the firm at (877) 637-6843 or through
its online contact form.


ASBESTOS UPDATE: 60 Schools In Kozhikode, India Use Asbestos Roofs
------------------------------------------------------------------
Sreedevi Chitharanjan for the Times of India reports that for the
children of many schools in the Kozhikode district, the asbestos
roofs over their head are posing a serious health hazard.
Oblivious to the fact that the asbestos is carcinogenic (cancer-
causing), they continue to attend classes.  Though the State Human
Rights Commission prohibited the use of asbestos as roofs in state
schools in January 2009, nearly 60 schools, both private and
government-run, in the district are yet to implement the order.

Though no cases of any asbestos-related diseases have been
reported from these schools so far, the surprising fact is that
the district education officials don't even have a proper account
of the number of schools using asbestos as roofs.

"We do not have a consolidated data on this.  Of the 1,162 schools
in the government, aided and unaided sectors, less than 100
schools are functioning in temporary buildings made of asbestos
roofs," said P Ajayakumar, deputy director of education in-charge.

Though the official claimed that the number is more in schools run
by private managements, he quickly added that steps are being
taken to ensure that government schools do not use asbestos.  "We
are in the process of ensuring that buildings of government
schools that are functioning in the temporary sheds do not use
asbestos," he said.

But the schools which use asbestos have their own reasons to
defend the use of this carcinogenic material for roofs.  Many say
that lack of funds compel them use asbestos for roofing as it is
cheaply available.

"We know the health hazards of asbestos sheets.  But we are
helpless.  We don't have money to construct school building by
spending huge sums.  There were 15 classrooms under asbestos
roofs.  We have reduced the number to nine," said N Basheer, staff
secretary of the Government Ganapath Model Girls HSS.  He said the
school would use Rs 1 crore granted by the state government to
build nine new classrooms.

But many education department officials also blame the state
government for the tardy progress in checking the use of asbestos
in schools.  "Though the government issued a circular, no follow-
up action was taken to check if the order is being implemented,"
said an assistant education officer who declined to be named.

Meanwhile, doctors in the district forewarn that continuous
exposure to asbestos also known as the deadly white fiber
increases the risk of lung cancer.  "Prolonged exposure can create
scratches in the lung.  It can also cause incurable mesothelioma
cancer," said Dr. E Narayanan Kutty Varrier, an oncologist.  He
said that children also face the risk of asbestosis, a condition
in which the breathing ability of lungs is affected.

Considering the serious health threats to schoolchildren, the
district panchayat is planning a special project as part of this
financial year to remove asbestos sheets from government schools.
"We have found 12 government higher secondary schools that use
asbestos roofs.  An initial discussion on this has already taken
place with the deputy director of education," said K P Sheeba,
district panchayat chairperson of health and education standing
committee.


ASBESTOS UPDATE: TV Presenter May Have Been Exposed to Fibro
------------------------------------------------------------
Aaron Tinney, Showbiz Reporter of The Sun, relates that a
distraught Christine Bleakley faces a new cancer scare -- amid
fears she was exposed to deadly asbestos.

The TV presenter, 33, is among thousands of women being urged to
undergo tests to see if a recently discovered leak of the dust at
their old school contaminated their lungs.

An inspection at Bloomfield Collegiate in Belfast, where Christine
was head girl, found "elevated levels" of asbestos in the
building.  It is believed the toxic fibers were exposed years ago
during renovations.

Christine put on her old school uniform last September and toured
Bloomfield Collegiate for a special edition of breakfast TV show
Daybreak.

It is her third cancer scare in three years.  She recently had
three suspect moles removed and in 2009 had an abnormal smear test
result.

A source said: "Christine is devastated to hear she and thousands
of others who went to Bloomfield Collegiate could be at risk from
lung cancer.  It has ruined her memories of her time at school,
which she's always cherished.


ASBESTOS UPDATE: Cleanup at SUNY New Paltz to Complete by July 31
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Jeremiah Horrigan of The Times Herald-Record reports that a
dormitory building at SUNY New Paltz undergoing asbestos abatement
is part of a planned and routine rehabilitation, a college
spokeswoman said.

Bliss Hall has been closed for renovation since late spring, the
time during which the college typically schedules renovation.

An asbestos abatement program has been in effect at the 50-year-
old building since July 7, and is scheduled to be complete by
July 31.


ASBESTOS UPDATE: Norwich Hospital Passes Surprise Inspection
------------------------------------------------------------
James Mosher of The Norwich Bulletin reports that two state
agencies made a surprise inspection of the former Norwich Hospital
property July 5, but no major violations were found.

The state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection and
the Department of Public Health made an unannounced visit to the
393-acre property now known as Preston Riverwalk, according to
Frank Ennis, who leads the site operations team for the Preston
Redevelopment Agency.

"Our paperwork was in order," Ennis said during Wednesday's (July
11) Redevelopment Agency board meeting at Town Hall.  "We were 100
percent compliant."

The state departments were responding to a complaint lodged with
DEEP, DEEP spokesman Dennis Schain said.

The complainant expressed concerns related to demolition work at
the site, including issues associated with asbestos abatement and
asbestos waste disposal, Schain said.  He did not identify the
individual.

"No substantial violations were found," Schain wrote in an e-mail.

Department of Public Health spokesman William Gerrish didn't
respond to a request for comment.

Asbestos is an issue in every one of the former hospital's
buildings, First Selectman Robert Congdon said.  But it is a
lesser problem compared with volatiles in groundwater and PCBs in
soil, he said.

"It's not a huge issue," Congdon said.  "But it's time-consuming
and it's expensive."

Abatement work recently was completed in a former hospital
building known as YY, Ennis said.  Demolition is expected to
commence in the near future, he said.

Twenty of the 55 buildings on the Preston side of the property
have been demolished.  All but five or six of the buildings will
be demolished and cleaned up within the next two years,
Redevelopment Agency Chairman Sean Nugent said last month.  Just
one building, the former hospital's administration building, is
scheduled to remain standing.

The hospital, a former psychiatric facility, closed in 1996.  The
state sold the larger portion of the property to Preston in 2009
for $1.  The state is looking to sell 47 acres on the Norwich side
of the property line for $300,000.


ASBESTOS UPDATE: Robin Hood Bay Landfill Shuttered For Cleanup
--------------------------------------------------------------
CBC News Newfoundland & Labrador reports that The Robin Hood Bay
landfill closed Saturday, July 14, due to potential contamination
by hazardous materials at the dump.

St. John's city officials said they decided to shut down the
facility to ensure the safety of the public.

Public works director Paul Mackey said a contamination has not
been confirmed, but the city is assuming hazardous waste has
entered the site -- one of which could be asbestos.

"That is one possibility, and of course there are other materials
that could be involved."

"We're doing a clean-up," said Mackey.

"All our landfill equipment, our compactors, our loaders, our
bulldozers, they have to clean those . . . to make sure if there
is any airborne material that has accumulated, it's dealt with
before we use the equipment again."

Glenn Moss drove from Paradise on Saturday, July 14, to drop off a
truckload of garbage.  He said he was frustrated to learn the dump
was closed.  "It's a pain in the backside yes, a pain in the
backside," said Moss.

"Monday morning I usually start off with an empty truck, and I
like to get more clientele done, and now I'm screwed for next
week."

Mackey said he learned about the potential contamination late
Friday night.  He said the concern comes from an old demolished
building from a community outside St. John's.

Mackey said Saturdays are the busiest days at the landfill.  He
said on any given Saturday as many as 1,800 vehicles will come by
for the residential and commercial drop off.

The Robin Hood Bay landfill accepts waste from across the Eastern
Region of the province, as far away as Clarenville, said Mackey.

"We wanted to get the word out so people wouldn't be
inconvenienced by turning up and not being able to access the
site."

The city was hoping to reopen the landfill to commercial users on
Monday, July 16 and residential users on Tuesday, July 17.


ASBESTOS UPDATE: Normalcy Starts to Finds Its Way in Libby
----------------------------------------------------------
The Associated Press reports that grass and freshly planted trees
are sprouting in a new town park that sits atop the site of a
vermiculite plant that once spewed asbestos dust across the
mountain community of Libby -- a welcome dose of normalcy for a
city that has become synonymous with lung disease and death.

It's a major milestone for the mining town of about 3,000 people
near the Canadian border where an estimated 400 people to date
have been killed by asbestos exposure.  More than 1,700 have been
sickened.  Lethal dust from the W.R. Grace and Co. plant and the
company's nearby mine once blanketed the town, and asbestos
illnesses are still being diagnosed more than two decades after
the mine was shuttered.

Following a 12-year cleanup, Riverfront Park hosted a wedding last
weekend.  Officials said another wedding and a blues festival are
scheduled for early August.  For Mayor Doug Roll, the federal
government's recent transfer of the park to the city offers a
symbolic break from Libby's lethal past.

"It's sort of like Phoenix rising from the ashes," Roll said.
"We've had a lot of negative stuff going on and we're trying to
turn that around."

But the park -- the first major finished piece of a federal
cleanup that so far has cost $447 million -- carries a significant
asterisk: Because of the difficulty of removing all the asbestos-
containing vermiculite from the highly-contaminated site, federal
regulators say some of the dangerous material remains.

For three decades, the Grace plant was used to stockpile
vermiculite from the mine before the material was exported by rail
across the U.S. for use as attic insulation.  The town's ball
fields are right next door; Libby residents who today battle
asbestos disease tell stories of playing in the plant's piles of
raw vermiculite as children.

Just 18 inches beneath the park's surface beneath a cap of clean
soil is a fluorescent orange barrier, a warning to those who dig
on the site in the future that they face potential asbestos
exposure.

It's one of many reminders that Libby's tragedy has yet to run its
course.

The town remains under a first-of-its kind public health emergency
declaration issued by Environmental Protection Agency
administrator Lisa Jackson in 2009.  The deaths are expected to
continue for decades due to the long latency of asbestos-related
diseases.

Agency scientists still have not settled on a safe level of human
exposure to the type of asbestos found in the Kootenai Valley.
That means hundreds of homes and businesses cleaned once could
face additional work.

Almost a million cubic yards of soil and contaminated material
have been removed from Libby to date.  Federal regulators say they
hope to have that phase completed in the next three to five years.
The end date is uncertain, pending the results of a risk
assessment to determine safe levels of exposure.

The assessment could be finished sometime next year, said the
EPA's Libby team leader, Victor Ketellapper.  But citing the
potency of Libby's asbestos, independent scientists reviewing the
document already have questioned whether it goes far enough to
protect human health.  If they push for changes, that could
further delay completion of the assessment -- and the cleanup.


ASBESTOS UPDATE: Demolition of Former Belcher Foundry Halted
------------------------------------------------------------
Justin Graeber of The Taunton Daily Gazette reports that neighbors
of a former iron foundry that was being torn down Thursday,
July 12, can breathe easier, at least for now, because demolition
of the site has stopped until the land owner obtains the proper
permits.

Residents on Foundry Street had complained of clouds of black soot
drifting from the site of the former Belcher Foundry, but work has
been halted because the work crews did not file the proper
paperwork with the Department of Environmental Protection, state
officials said.

The site's owner filed a demolition permit with the town but not
with the state, DEP spokesman Edmund Coletta said on July 13.

"We did reach out and say they needed to stop demolition until
they get the proper permit," Coletta said.

That permit has been filed.  However, the demolition is still
suspended while state officials look into a few other areas.

There is asbestos on the site, Coletta said, but it is mostly
contained in ceiling tiles in a building that is still standing.
There was some asbestos in window caulking in that part of the
foundry that's already been demolished, but Coletta said the
amounts were small enough to not be a safety concern.

The demolition is on hold while the state works with the site
owner and contractors about how to best remove that asbestos, he
said.

Also, during an inspection on Friday state workers found about 50
gallons of oil had spilled, Coletta said.

He said it was likely new oil, not a pre-existing spill on the
site.  The site owner and demolition contractor, the Total Group,
will have to hire an environmental consultant to create a plan to
deal with the spill.

BRFE Properties, LLC/Advanced Metals Group LLC, the site owner,
obtained a demolition permit from the town.  The organization's
asbestos contractor, Clean Air, also filed an asbestos removal
permit with the state, according to Coletta.

Normally, demolition permits have a 10-day waiting period.  But
the town issued its permit because the site was seen as a safety
hazard.  The site has been a target of vandals, metal thieves and
homeless people since it was shuttered in 2007.

Coletta said the state likely would have agreed and waived the
waiting period, but no one ever asked.

The demolition permit from the town, issued July 5, is for an
estimated $60,000 worth of work.  On it, Building Inspector Mark
Trivett noted the permit was for demolition only, no excavation.
The permit also notes that DEP notification was required before
work can start.

As part of any standard state permit, Coletta said, a demolition
company would have to make sure materials were wet down to prevent
dust from escaping into the air.  Debris would then be placed into
covered trucks, wet yet again, and any wastewater would have to be
recaptured to avoid contaminating the area.

A man with a hose was seen wetting the demolition as it took place
Thursday.

BRFE Properties has an address in Malvern, Pa., and a call to a
listed number there was not returned.  A man named Anthony E.
Cataldo is the applicant on the town permit, but his only contact
information is a post office box in Medford.


ASBESTOS UPDATE: Ballymun Regeneration Plan to Complete in 2014
---------------------------------------------------------------
Olivia Kelly of The Irish Times reports that after an eight-year
delay, a budget overrun in the region of EUR500 million and
numerous setbacks including the discovery of asbestos and pyrite,
the regeneration of Ballymun is on target to be completed in two
years' time.

Just 240 of the original 2,600 prefabricated flats built between
1965 and 1969 remain occupied.  About 200 houses are at various
stages of construction and contracts for the final 30 -- the last
social houses that will be built in Ballymun -- will be signed
shortly.

By 2014, almost 18,000 people -- many of whom have lived in
circumstances of severe deprivation, some for as long as 40 years
-- will have new homes.

Managing director of Ballymun Regeneration Ltd (BRL) Philip
Maguire describes the redevelopment of Ballymun as being on the
"last lap" -- an apt phrase for what has been a marathon project
that became ever more grueling as the finish line approached.

When the masterplan for the regeneration was devised in 1997 the
project was due to be completed in 2006, with EUR442 million in
public money spent.  Construction was delayed in the early years
due to inaccuracies in the maps which detailed the locations of
underground mains pipes and electrical cables.

The discovery of asbestos in 2004 further delayed demolition and
added to costs which were already growing with the overheating of
the construction sector.  In 2008 a revised completion date of
2012 was set and a new cost estimate of EUR942 million.  Just one
year later cuts in Government funding meant a new completion date
of 2014 had to be set.

The discovery of asbestos now seems trifling in light of the
pyrite problems which have since emerged.  Pyrite was initially
discovered in a community facility in late 2007.  It was
subsequently discovered that newly built houses had also been
constructed using pyrite-contaminated materials.

Work to fix these 122 unoccupied houses and apartments is costing
in the region of EUR10 million.  Occupied houses in another part
of the development have now been identified as having pyrite
problems -- the cost of this work, which would include the
rehousing of residents, has yet to be determined.

The development of proper facilities for an area with 18,000
inhabitants has also faltered.  In September 2009, Treasury
Holdings secured planning permission for a new EUR400 million
shopping centre.  Construction was due to begin the following year
on the site of the old shopping centre, which still stands and is
now under the control of Nama.

The lack of this central facility has been one of the biggest
blows to the regeneration project, Maguire said.  "Any major
project has a few disappointments, but the biggest one is the
shopping centre.  It was certainly intended it would be developed
by now.  It is an eyesore and it is something which the board of
BRL is very determined that whatever can be done should be done
and must be done."  Treasury is contesting the appointment of
receivers by Nama, but if it is unable to develop the site, BRL
will seek an alternative partner to develop lands adjacent to the
old shopping centre.

Despite these difficulties BRL has achieved considerable
successes, particularly in the area of social regeneration with
the development of arts and sports facilities, a swimming pool, a
health centre, parks, and a number of community and educational
programs.  Most notably, school absenteeism -- always a
considerable problem in the area -- has now been brought down to
the national average.

Ballymun also reaped one of the benefits of the boom in that
private housing was built and sold before the downturn.

Unlike many parts of the city this new housing is almost 95 per
cent occupied and with more land available for private housing,
the social mix hoped for but never achieved in 1960s Ballymun is a
possibility.

BRL will wind up in 2014, and while certain elements, most notably
the shopping centre, won't be completed at that stage, Maguire
believes Ballymun will be able to move on as a sustainable
independent community.

"One of the strengths of Ballymun, even back in darker days, was
its community organizations.  There have always been a lot of
people doing things for themselves rather than looking to have
things done for them, and that type of self reliance will be key
to its future success."


ASBESTOS UPDATE: Hartford to Raise Reserves by Up to $55 million
----------------------------------------------------------------
Ben Berkowitz of Thomson Reuters reports that insurer Hartford
Financial on Monday, July 16, said it expects up to $300 million
in pretax losses due to natural disasters in the second quarter, a
figure down sharply from a year earlier.

The Hartford also said it would raise asbestos reserves, though at
a much lower rate than last year.

The company, which is in the middle of a restructuring to focus on
its property insurance business, said its pretax disaster loss was
$280 million to $300 million, against $447 million a year earlier.

Last year's second quarter was one of the worst in industry
history due to record-breaking tornadoes in the U.S. South.  This
year was somewhat milder, marked mostly by major hailstorms across
the United States.

Besides the disaster losses, The Hartford also said it would
increase reserves by up to $55 million pretax, mostly to increase
asbestos reserves.  A year ago it took a $290 million provision
for the same reason.


ASBESTOS UPDATE: Bleakley Clears Up Fibro-Exposure Reports
----------------------------------------------------------
Now Daily reports that Christine Bleakley has taken to Twitter to
address reports she could have been exposed to asbestos.

A tabloid's alleged that "elevated levels" of the deadly dust were
found at Bloomfield Collegiate in Belfast, where the presenter
went to school.

It claimed that officials had written to ex-students -- including
Christine, 33 -- urging them to go for check-ups to see if they'd
been exposed to asbestos and were in danger of getting lung cancer
from it.

"It has ruined Christine's memories of her time at school," a
source was quoted as saying.  "The fact that she was back in the
building as recently as last year has made her more petrified she
could fall ill."

But Christine has now hit out at the reports.

"Who are these 'sources' who apparently know me and what I'm
thinking?  All total utter and complete rubbish," she's Tweeted.

Christine, who's engaged to footballer Frank Lampard, recently
told Now how she'd had a cancer scare.

"I had to have three moles removed," she told Now's Dan Wootton.


ASBESTOS UPDATE: Reported Truck Tested Negative of Toxic Fibro
--------------------------------------------------------------
The New Haven (Conn.) Register reports that the state Department
of Health said Tuesday, July 17, that no asbestos was found in
four samples of debris collected by AMC Environmental, the company
that tested the renovation debris found in the truck adjacent to
25 Eld St.

"The samples characterize all the suspected asbestos-containing
materials identified within the truck," DPH spokesman William
Gerrish said in a statement.  "The debris present in the truck may
be disposed of as construction waste."

Concern about the contents of the truck and whether it posed a
health hazard was raised on SeeClickFix, a Web site used to report
community concerns.

DPH and the state Department of Energy and Environmental
Protection both had been at the site to inspect the truck.

Contacted on July 17 by telephone, truck owner Andres Carrasco
reiterated his previous statement that there was "no asbestos" in
the truck.  Carrasco also said that he has moved the truck.

He also has previously said that the material contained in the
truck was the result of a contracting job and did not belong to
him.


ASBESTOS UPDATE: A View on Canada's Usage of Taxpayer Money
-----------------------------------------------------------
An article in the Winnipeg Free Press by Alana Wilson, senior
research analyst in the Fraser Institute's global centre for
mining studies -- http://www.miningfacts.org/-- relates that
Canada's mining industry is globally competitive, and has long
succeeded without much in the way of government subsidies.  It
even thrived in the last recession by responding to market demand.
Yet instead of letting markets drive mining investment in Quebec,
the provincial government is bailing out the asbestos industry
using taxpayer money -- and this for a product that is harmful to
human health.

In recent years, market demand for chrysotile asbestos produced in
Canada shrunk dramatically which lead to a halt of chrysotile
mining.  But instead of letting mines stay closed, taxpayer funds
will reopen an unprofitable chrysotile mine.

Quebec Premier Jean Charest recently approved a $58 million loan
to allow the closed Jeffrey asbestos mine to reopen.

Even before the announced bailout, the mine struggled and operated
infrequently in recent years.  All other Canadian asbestos mines
have closed; the last one was shuttered in November.

The demise of Canada's asbestos industry reflects a declining
demand for asbestos, driven by health concerns.  The World Health
Organization estimates 107,000 people die each year from asbestos-
related lung cancer, mesothelioma, and asbestosis from exposure to
asbestos in their workplace.  Although chrysotile, the type of
asbestos mined in Quebec, is less harmful than other types, the
WHO considers all asbestos carcinogenic.

Even if chrysotile can be safely mined in Canada, the European
Union and more than 40 countries have banned it.  Whether or not
the health concerns are real, the global market has shrunk.

Yet governments refused to stop spending our money.  Between 1984
and 1997, Ottawa provided nearly $20 million to the Chrysotile
Institute, a not-for-profit organization that provides training
and promotes the use of chrysotile internationally.  Government
support came in the form of $250,000 per year to the institute and
an additional $10,000 per year for representatives to attend
workshops and conferences.  The feds spent about $575,000 in a
failed bid to have the World Trade Organization overturn France's
ban on asbestos.

Aside from this federal support, Quebec provided $200,000 per year
to the Chrysotile Institute.  Both levels of government, however,
have since cut off funding for the institute and, like asbestos
mining itself, the institute appears unable to continue without
government support.  In April it announced its intention to
dissolve.

Those who support the bailout of the Jeffrey mine claim up to 500
full-time jobs will be created.  This works out to more than
$115,000 per job.  The notion that jobs are created, however, is a
myth.  For one thing, the subsidy money comes from other taxpaying
businesses and individuals.  Such corporate welfare merely
recycles tax dollars from other sectors and thus weakens job
creation in those same sectors.

The subsidy is even more absurd in light of the labor shortage
faced by the global mining industry.  Canadian mining companies
need tens of thousands of workers to fill vacancies and meet new
demand.  By subsidizing mine workers to remain at the Jeffrey
mine, public money is being used to distort the labor market and
provide incentives for workers to remain in an uncompetitive mine
while positions are vacant elsewhere.

Canada has been blessed with many natural resources.  It competes
globally and does so by responding to market opportunities.  In
doing so, it prompts innovations and new technologies for more
economical, safer and environmentally sound mining.  While
governments clearly have a role to play in creating the regulatory
framework and stable policies to attract mining investment, its
role should not be to use public funds to prop up a failing
product, let alone one that's dangerous to human health.


ASBESTOS UPDATE: Fibro Found in Mulch Alerts Tenterfield Council
---------------------------------------------0------------------
Marie Low of Tenterfield Star reports that asbestos contamination
has been found in mulch provided at the Sunnyside Loop Waste
Transfer Station, with a warning that the contamination could go
back as far as August last year.

Tenterfield Shire Council has issued a public notice with an
urgent request for anyone who has received the mulch to contact
council.

"Of four samples tested on the mulch by the environmental analysis
laboratory, one contained a small amount of asbestos (0.0008 per
cent) which is considered by the Department of Health as having a
low health risk and is not visible to the eye," the public notice
said.

The notice said the NSW Health Department and the Environment
Protection Authority has asked council to investigate the mulch
further.

"Meanwhile, please ensure that any mulch is kept damp and away
from children and pets until the investigation is completed.

"Please be reassured that council is doing everything in its power
to minimize any potential health risk during the investigation."

Council general manager Lotta Jackson said council had acted
quickly with a public notice and letterbox drop to alert
residents, but reiterated asbestos had not been found in most
samples, and had been found in "very low levels" in the fourth
sample.

"The NSW government asbestos fact sheet shows that we have got
asbestos in the air all the time," Ms. Jackson said.

"We are now working very closely with the Health Department and
the EPA [Environment Protection Authority] on a day to day basis."

The mulch has been cordoned off at the transfer station, and
council has already employed an occupational hygienist to conduct
further testing on mulch.

On Monday, July 16, council had received only two calls from
people who had taken mulch.

Ms. Jackson said the hygienist would put together a spreadsheet
and prioritize testing according to where the greatest risk was
believed to be.

"We are being extra cautious and have taken the time period back
to the first receipt of selling waste in August [2011]," Ms.
Jackson said.

A NSW government fact sheet on asbestos and health risks advises
that breathing in asbestos fibers can cause asbestosis, lung
cancer and mesothelioma, but people with health problems caused by
inhaling asbestos had usually been exposed to high levels of
asbestos for a long time.

Asbestos was found to be in small quantities in mulch sold by the
Bega Valley Shire Council in NSW in April this year, with further
testing showing about three of the 12 loads later inspected were
contaminated.

An inspection at the Tenterfield waste transfer station in January
this year found two cases of illegally dumped asbestos, with
asbestos removal specialists called in to deal with the disposal.

At the time, the cost of removing a wheelbarrow load was put at
AU$1,094.

Council warned at the time it would conduct stricter inspections
of vehicles and rubbish loads.

No asbestos is allowed to be dumped at the Sunnyside Loop Waste
Transfer Station.  Disposal is only allowed at the Boonoo Boonoo
landfill with 48 hours prior notice to council.

Anyone who received mulch from the Sunnyside Loop Waste Transfer
Station should call council on 6736 6000 as a matter of urgency.

If you have received mulch between August 6, 2011 and June 27,
2012:

   -- contact Tenterfield Shire Council urgently on 6736 6000.

   -- do not disturb soil or any other material thought to be
contaminated.

   -- spray with water to prevent mulch becoming airborne.

   -- cover with plastic sheeting or a tarpaulin if possible to
avoid exposure to the weather.

   -- prevent access by children and pets.


ASBESTOS UPDATE: Greeley-Evans School More Likely to Overhaul
-------------------------------------------------------------
Sherrie Peif of The Greeley Tribune reports that Greeley-Evans
School District 6 is considering rebuilding John Evans IB Middle
School at the southwest corner of 65th Avenue and 37th Street in
Evans.  The school needs many repairs, most of which require
asbestos abatement.

The school board is faced with these choices: spend $8 million on
a new roof or spend $9 million to tear down the school and build a
new one, with help from a state grant that would cover $21 million
of the $30 million project.

The money would come from a Colorado Department of Education,
Building Excellent Schools Today grant.  The other $9 million
would come from a bond levied against property taxes in the
district.

Quinby, who was vice president of the school board from 2003-09,
headed up an exploratory committee to decide if the district
should ask voters in the November election for the money.

Last week, the district learned that the preliminary list of
school districts awarded a BEST grant put District 6's project at
second alternate.

"Bottom line is first we approved unanimously to recommend to the
board to go for the $9 million in matching funds," Quinby said.
"We still plan to recommend that."

Board members will decide at a special meeting on Thursday,
July 19, if they want to go ahead with the bond issue, despite not
knowing if they will receive funds.  Two districts ahead of them
have to drop out or be unable to secure funding in order to
receive the grant.

Quinby said it still makes sense to go to the voters.

"If we can pass the bond and don't get the BEST grant this year,
then we can say, 'Look we already have the money,' and try for the
grant next year," Quinby said.  "When you look at all the
arguments (for a bond) it is really overwhelming."

The list is not final.  The state review board will make its final
recommendations in mid-July, and the state board of education will
make a decision in August.

Quinby said that of the 18 districts that were awarded the grant,
12 need successful bond elections.  If two fail, Greeley would get
its grant, assuming District 6 voters approve the local funding
match.  According to EdNewsColorado.org, last year 12 districts
asked voters for matching money and six failed.  Sheridan 2 School
District in Arapahoe County was one of those.  It is on the short
list again this year, and must ask voters for $6.5 million.  Aspen
Community Charter School originally thought it would need to pay
54 percent but learned it must pay 81 percent.

"I cannot imagine how we can make the match," Skye Skinner,
executive director of the school, told EdNewsColorado.

If Greeley passes the bond but does not receive the grant,
officials would have a year to apply for the grant again before
the bond would become null.

Quinby said everyone on the committee toured John Evans and agreed
the school needs an overhaul, but repairs are just as costly as
replacement.

"The roof is going to have to be repaired," he said.  "The roof
has had two roofs on top of it already, so you would have to
remove the roof down to the concrete to put a new one on.  That
would take asbestos abatement.  By the time you put the air
conditioner and other structures back, a new roof is $8 million.
You don't put $8 million into a roof of an asbestos-infected
building."

Quinby said the other major problem with John Evans is the
communications equipment doesn't work in all classrooms, so when
the school has drills, someone has to walk to the classrooms to
inform them of the drill.

"So then it becomes a safety issue," he said.  "If they have to
have lock down, they have to physically go to some of the rooms to
tell them the school is in lock down.  That is a real safety
issue."

To fix the intercom system, it would also take asbestos abatement.

"That school is saturated with asbestos; you can do a few repairs,
but really no upgrades without doing an asbestos abatement, and
that makes it cost ineffective," he said.

"Do we want to pay $9 million for a new school, or $8 million for
a new roof.  It's a no-brainer, and people are very sensible. "

Greeley-Evans School District 6 Board of Education will hold a
special meeting on Thursday, July 19, to hear the formal
recommendation of the exploratory committee and to decide whether
to proceed with a bond issue in November.  The board will meet at
9 a.m. at the administration building, 1025 9th Ave.


ASBESTOS UPDATE: Borg-Warner Corp, 63 Others Face Lawsuit
---------------------------------------------------------
Kyla Asbury of The West Virginia Record reports that a woman is
suing 64 companies she claims are responsible for her family
member's lung cancer and death.

On July 7, 2010, Franklin Delno Hensley was diagnosed with lung
cancer, from which he died on May 13, 2011, according to a
complaint filed July 5 in Kanawha Circuit Court.

Tammy Horn claims Hensley was exposed during his employment as a
plumber, carpenter and laborer from 1965 until 2002.

The defendants are being sued based on theories of negligence,
contaminated buildings, breach of expressed/implied warranty,
strict liability, intentional tort, conspiracy, misrepresentations
and post-sale duty to warn, according to the suit.

Horn is seeking a jury trial to resolve all issues involved.  She
is being represented by Bronwyn I. Rinehart --
brinehart@jfhumphreys.com --, Victoria L. Antion --
vantion@motleyrice.com -- and Scott A. McGee --
smcgee@motleyrice.com

The case has been assigned to a visiting judge.

The companies named as defendants are 3M Company; A.O. Smith
Corporation; A.W. Chesterton Company; Ajax Magnethermic
Corporation; Armstrong International, Inc.; Aurora Pump Company;
Borg-Warner Corporation; CBS Corporation; Certainteed Corporation;
Chromium Corporation; Cleaver Brooks, Inc.; Crane Co.; Dravo
Corporation; Eaton Corporation; Flowserve Corporation; Flowserve
f/k/a The Duriron Company Inc.; FMC Corporation; Foseco, Inc.;
Foster Wheeler Energy Corporation; General Electric Company;
Genuine Parts Company; Georgia Pacific Corporation; Gordon Gasket
& Packing Co.; Goulds Pumps, Inc.; Grinnell, LLC; Hercules, Inc.;
Honeywell International; Howden North America, Inc.; IMO
Industries, Inc.; Industrial Holdings Corporation; Ingersoll-Rand
Company; Insul Company, Inc.; ITT Corporation; Metropolitan Life
Insurance Company; Mobil Corporation; Nagle Pumps, Inc.; Nitro
Industrial Coverings, Inc.; Oglebay Norton Company; Pneumo Abex
Corporation; Premiere Refractories, Inc.; Rapid American
Corporation; Riley Power Inc.; Robin Industries, Inc.; Rockwell
Automation, Inc.; Schneider Electric; Spirax Sarco, Inc.; Sterling
Fluid Systems (USA), LLC; Superior Container, Inc.; Swindell
Dressier International Corporation; Tasco Insulations, Inc.; Trane
U.S. Inc.; Union Carbide Chemical & Plastics Company; Uniroyal,
Inc.; United Engineers & Constructors and Washington Group
International; Vimasco Corporation; Weil-McLain Company; Yarway
Corporation; YRC, Inc.; and Zurn Industries, Inc.

Kanawha Circuit Court case number: 12-C-1249.


ASBESTOS UPDATE: Residents May Sue Glasgow City Council Chiefs
--------------------------------------------------------------
Centre for Disease Control and Prevention - Scotland reports that
residents exposed to asbestos fibers after an abandoned school was
set on fire could take legal action against Scotland's largest
council.

A public meeting was slated for Tuesday night (July 17) to discuss
taking action against Glasgow City Council chiefs involved in the
demolition and clean-up of St Mark's in the east end.

The council brought in specialist teams to remove the fibers from
the roofs of properties near to the primary school after vandals
set the building alight two months ago.

Having lain empty for two years, the school had to be demolished
because of damage caused by the fire.

The demolition meant asbestos was allowed to drift into
neighboring homes and the surrounding community.

While council chiefs insist only "extremely low amounts of
asbestos fibers were found", law firm Thompsons Solicitors said
"hundreds of people in the city are dying because of asbestos
poisoning, but they just don't know it yet".

Chris Gordon, Thompsons partner and asbestos expert, called
residents to the July 17 meeting.

He said: "There's a mistaken assumption that there's no longer any
risk from asbestos -- that it's a thing of the past.  The alarming
truth is that each year more than 4,000 people die from asbestos-
related disease.

"Asbestos is a silent killer and inhaling only a small amount of
the stuff can have dire health consequences later in life.

"There are currently hundreds of people in the city dying because
of asbestos poisoning, but they just don't know it yet.

"We're committed to the local community and that's why we're
holding this public meeting to provide assistance to anyone
concerned with these recent developments."

As recently as 2000, asbestos was used as insulation and fire-
proofing, but is known to cause lung disease and can prove fatal.

A spokeswoman for Glasgow City Council said: "It's hard to see how
this is not scaremongering.  Given the exceptionally low risk to
people's health, it was important that we balanced cleaning the
area with allowing people to get on with their normal lives.

"All work was carried out with the approval of the Health & Safety
Executive and residents kept informed throughout the process."

                           *********

S U B S C R I P T I O N   I N F O R M A T I O N

Class Action Reporter is a daily newsletter, co-published by
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USA, and Beard Group, Inc., Frederick, Maryland USA.  Noemi Irene
A. Adala, Joy A. Agravante, Ivy B. Magdadaro, Psyche A. Castillon,
Julie Anne L. Toledo, Christopher Patalinghug, Frauline Abangan
and Peter A. Chapman, Editors.

Copyright 2012.  All rights reserved.  ISSN 1525-2272.

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