U.S. Court Dismisses 'Agent Orange' Case Against Chemical Firms

February 22, 2008

A federal appeals court Friday upheld a lower court ruling dismissing a civil lawsuit against major U.S. chemical companies brought by Vietnamese plaintiffs over the use of dioxin, or "agent orange," during the Vietnam War.

The decision was handed down by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit in New York involving a case brought against Dow Chemical Co., Monsanto Co. and other companies that had earlier been dismissed by a U.S. District Court.

In a written ruling, the appeals court judges said "we agree with the conclusions reached by the District Court in this case."

(Reporting by Martha Graybow, editing by Gerald E. McCormick)

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