High Court Declines Firms’ Appeal On Hanford-Site Radiation Claims

The U.S. Supreme Court declined on Dec. 15 to hear an appeal from three ex-contractors at the U.S. Energy Dept’s former Hanford nuclear-weapons production site in Washington state. They sought to block compensation claims by residents “downwind” for radiation exposure. The case now returns to a federal district court in Spokane, where as many as 2,000 plaintiffs could seek legal relief or a settlement with the companies.