Case Name: In re "AGENT ORANGE" PRODUCT LIABILITY LITIGATION
Court: United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York
Jurisdiction: United States
Decision Date: 1980-06-09
Citations: 506 F. Supp. 756
Docket Number: MDL No. 381
Parties: In re “AGENT ORANGE” PRODUCT LIABILITY LITIGATION.
Judges: 
Reporter: Federal Supplement
Volume: 506
Pages: 756–757

Head Matter:
In re “AGENT ORANGE” PRODUCT LIABILITY LITIGATION.
MDL No. 381.
United States District Court, E. D. New York.
June 9, 1980.
Victor J. Yannacone, Jr., Yannacone & Yannacone, Patchogue, N. Y., Schlegel & Trafelet, Ltd., L. Steven Platt, Daniel C. Sullivan, Sullivan Associates, Ltd., Chicago, Ill., Hy Mayerson, Spring City, Pa., David Jaroslawicz, New York City, Newton B. Schwartz, P. C., Benton Musslewhite, Inc., Houston, Tex., Melvin Block, Brooklyn, N. Y., Marshall A. Bernstein, Bernstein, Bernstein & Harrison, Philadelphia, Pa., Louis B. Merhige, New Orleans, La., Dennis M. O’Malley, Grant & Artesani, Boston, Mass., Dorothy Thompson, Los Angeles, Cal., W. T. McMillan, W. T. McMillan & Co., associated counsel for Australian plaintiffs, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, Jerry G. Wieslander, Frank G. Wieslander, Altoona, Iowa, Lewis A. Royal, Samuel Zelden, Des Moines, Iowa, David C. Anson, Deconcini, McDonald, Brammer, Yetwin & Lacy, Tucson, Ariz., Phillip E. Brown, Hoberg, Finger, Brown, Cox & Molliga, San Francisco, Cal., Leslie Hulnick, Wichita, Kan., Sidney W. Gilreath, Knoxville, Tenn., Stephen J. Cavanaugh, Bellaire, Tex., Robert P. Schuster, Spence, Moriarty & Schuster, Jackson, Wyo., Alton C. Todd, Brown & Todd, Alvin, Tex., Jules B. Olsman, Southfield, Mich., Gerald J. Adler, Crow, Lytle, Gilwee, Donoghue Adler & Weninger, Sacramento, Cal., Jack E. London, Miami, Fla., David J. Ghilardi, Madison, Wis., William G. Morgan, William A. Cohan, Denver, Colo., William J. Risner, Tucson, Ariz., James L. Witzel, McKelvey, Cottom & Witzel, East Lansing, Mich., Robert I. P. Pasternak, Jane R. Kaplan, Berkeley, Cal., Norton Frickey, Denver, Colo., Dante Mattioni, Philadelphia, Pa., Elgin L. Crull, Louisville, Ky., Charles J. Traylor, Grand Junction, Colo., Victor L. Marcello, Talbot, Sotile, Carmouche Waquespach & Marchand, Donaldsonville, La., Janet T. Phillips, Rodgers, Monsley, Woodbury & Berggreen, Las Vegas, Nev., William D. Nelsch, Denver, Colo., Robert C. Huntley, Jr., Racine, Huntley & Olson, Pocatello, Idaho, Jacque B. Pucheu, Pucheu & Pucheu, Eunice, La., Jeffrey M. Stopford, Litvin, Blumberg, Matusow & Young, Philadelphia, Pa., Joseph D. Jamail, Jamail & Kolius, Houston, Tex., Leonard W. Schroeter, J. Kathleen Learned, Schroeter, Goldmark & Bender, P. S., Seattle, Wash., for plaintiffs.
Leonard L. Rivkin, Rivkin, Leff & Sherman, Garden City, N. Y., for Dow Chemical.
Morton B. Silberman, Clark, Gagliardi & Miller, White Plains, N. Y., Baker & McKenzie, Chicago, Ill., for Thompson-Hayward.
Wendell B. Alcorn, Jr., Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft, New York City, for Diamond Shamrock.
Townley & Updike, New York City, for Monsanto.
Bud Holman and William Krohley, Kelley, Drye & Warren, New York City, for Hercules, Inc.
William H. Sanders, William A. Lynch and Paul G. Lane, Blackwell, Sanders, Matheny, Weary & Lombardi, Kansas City, Mo., for N. A. Phillips.
John M. Fitzpatrick, Dilworth, Paxson, Kalish, Lelvy & Kauffman, Philadelphia, Pa., for Hooker Chemical Co.
Joan Bernott, Dept. of Justice, Washington, D. C., for third-party defendant U. S.
Roy L. Reardon, James P. Barrett and Michael V. Corrigan, Simpson, Thacher & Bartlett, New York City, for Ansul Co.
Damien T. Wren, Lewis, Overbeck & Fur-man, Chicago, Ill., for Riverdale Chemical Co.

Opinion:
GEORGE C. PRATT, District Judge.
The court will hold a status conference on July 2, 1980 at 3:00 p. m. to discuss the impact of McMillan et al. v. Dow Chemical Co. et al, CV-80-1241, the case brought by Australian veterans who allege injuries arising from their exposure to Agent Orange during their service in Vietnam. Counsel for the Australian plaintiffs, the corporate defendants and the United States are directed to submit briefs addressing the following issues: (1) the applicability of the defenses asserted by the corporate defendants and the United States to the claims of the Australian veterans; (2) the relationship between this action and other currently pending actions with respect to discovery, existing orders, possible class action treatment, and trial; and (3) any other special problems and issues that may result from plaintiffs' status as Australian veterans.
These briefs are to be exchanged and submitted by June 20,1980; reply papers, if any, shall be submitted by June 27, 1980. The agenda at the July 2, 1980 conference shall be limited to the above listed issues.
SO ORDERED.