A D V E R T I S E M E N T


The Portland Tribune Navigation bar
Loading

Printer-friendly version     Email story link

Mattel named in wrongful death suit

Company says case of View-Master worker should be dismissed

ADVERTISEMENTS

The family of a longtime employee at Mattel’s former View-Master plant in Beaverton has filed a wrongful death lawsuit, claiming that polluted drinking water at the factory caused or contributed to the liver cancer that killed him.

Gary Evans worked at the View-Master plant for more than 20 years. He died at age 61 in February 2002. The lawsuit, brought by his daughter, Amanda, charges that Mattel is liable for the death because the factory’s drinking water was contaminated with the industrial solvent trichloroethylene, or TCE.

“We believe we can show that Gary Evans was killed by TCE,” said Portland attorney Karl Anuta, who is representing the Evans family.

Mattel has long denied the link between the health problems of former employees and the TCE in the factory’s drinking water. The company is arguing that the Evans lawsuit should be dismissed because, under Oregon law, workers’ compensation is the exclusive remedy for workplace injuries.

Dan Nottage, general manager of Mattel Portland and the sole remaining Mattel employee locally, said the company has paid for 1,952 medical exams for former employees since the TCE was found, and “we’ve found nothing that was directly linked to TCE.”

TCE was discovered at more than 300 times the federal allowable limit in the well that supplied the factory with drinking water in 1998. A subsequent investigation found that the solvent had been dumped onto company property by factory workers and had seeped down over time to pollute the groundwater.

Mattel officials told the Portland Tribune in 2002 that they erred by not testing their water for chemical contamination, as is required by law.

The TCE-contaminated water was hauled off and disposed of as hazardous waste in 1998. Since then dozens of former employees have attempted to win compensation from Mattel through lawsuits and workers’ compensation claims. All have failed.



1 | 2 Next Page >>


Digg Del.icio.us
StumbleUpon Toolbar Stumbleupon Reddit

SHOW STOPPERS


Shoni Schimmel, Franklin Quakers do it their way


Smart decisions, in Super Bowl and by Brandon Roy


Panthers fans excited to see Moore and better things at quarterback

Link to online gaming area Link to online gaming area Link to online gaming area Click to read Local Area Public Notices
Find Us on Facebook Find Us on Twitter

Browse archive


Link to The Portland Tribune

Find a paper

Enter a street name
or a 5 digit zip code


Link to online subscription form

Link to online subscription form

Link to KPAM



Weather Forecasts
Weather Maps
Weather Radar Video forecast


ADVERTISEMENTS






SPECIAL SECTIONS
AND PROMOTIONS

Entree special section


Web hosting


Link to Special Publication


Link to Special Publication

Our Portland website design and marketing company created custom websites for these top providers of Portland pest control services, Portland cleaning services and Portland florists.

Search engine marketing, website templates, portland web design and website promotion by Webfu // 503.381.5553

New down and fleece north face jackets. The largest selection of North Face Jackets available online. Free shipping on orders over $40.00

See the latest styles of ski jackets and backpacks from The North Face.

Become a Naturopathic Doctor. Developing future leaders in health care. Named by The Princeton Review as one of the best med schools in the country. Bastyr University.

Features Contact Us Classifieds Sustainable Life Sports Opinion Metro News News US & World News