Union Carbide Suits Held Up Until U.S. Jurisdiction Ruling
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BHOPAL, India — A court agreed today to delay legal action on thousands of claims against Union Carbide until an American judge rules whether they should be tried in the United States or India.
The ruling by Bhopal District Judge Ram Murty Rastogi granted an Indian government request for a temporary stay on more than 5,000 claims involving billions of dollars against Union Carbide in connection with the chemical leak that killed 1,700 people in Bhopal on Dec. 3, 1984.
The Bhopal court agreed that any proceedings in India are likely to be “detrimental to the interests of the victims themselves” as long as the American court has still not ruled on the jurisdiction issue. Attorneys have said there is a chance of winning substantially higher damage awards in American courts.
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