"Dozens of IBM workers and retirees who alleged that exposure to toxic chemicals caused them to develop cancer had their cases settled and dismissed, the company announced Wednesday. The cases hinged on whether workers developed cancer after years of work at IBM's disk drive plant in San Jose. Settlement terms were not disclosed," reports AP.
"In February, a California jury ruled unanimously that two retired workers, Alida Hernandez and James Moore, did not develop systemic chemical poisoning at IBM, despite workplace exposure to trichloroethylene, cadmium, toluene, benzene, arsenic and other toxins. Jurors also ruled that Big Blue did not lie to the workers about the safety of the San Jose factory.
"The plaintiffs, who were diagnosed with cancer in the 1990s, were seeking millions of dollars in damages. IBM doctors knew that an alarming number of workers in its semiconductor 'fabs' were dying from rare cancers in their 30s, 40s and 50s, plaintiffs argued, but executives misled workers and tried to hide a 'corporate mortality file' that documented the deaths."
