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Asbestos settlement
in millions

Tentative accord reached
with two manufacturers

By Helen Altonn
Star-Bulletin

The state will recover millions of dollars under tentative settlements of lawsuits against two companies that produced asbestos materials used in the State Capitol and other state buildings, state Attorney General Earl Anzai said today.

He said the figure agreed upon in the settlement with W.R. Grace & Co. and United States Gypsum Co. is confidential. But he added, "We spent millions of dollars on this lawsuit, so ..."

State attorneys had figured the state would recover $30 million to $100 million from four companies it sued because of asbestos in state buildings.

Originally, five companies were sued and an early settlement was reached with Highland Stucco & Lime Products Inc. Negotiations continue with Kaiser Gypsum Co. and Kelly Moore Paint Co., Anzai said.

A trial scheduled in June in Circuit Court on the Grace and United States Gypsum cases has been canceled. No trial date has been set for the two pending cases.

A survey done as part of the suit found asbestos in about 300 state buildings, Anzai said. But the materials were installed before a federal ban on asbestos, which has been linked with cancer.

The State Capitol was closed from 1992 to 1995 for a $67 million project that involved asbestos removal and renovations.