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Groom Lake Hazardous Waste Lawsuit
Former workers and widows of workers claim injuries resulting from illegal hazardous waste practices at Area 51 in the 1970s and 80s. Highly toxic resins were allegedly dumped into open pits and burned, and workers at the base were exposed to the fumes. The most prominant plaintiff is Helen Frost, window of Robert Frost, who died in 1988. An autopsy of Frost's body revealed high levels of dioxins and other carcinogens which the widow contends were caused by exposure to fumes at the base. In 1996, the lawsuit was dismissed by a Federal judge on the grounds of military's national security priviledge. That decision has since been appealed to the Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco, and the appeal is pending. [GC 8/96]
Articles & Dated Documents
Below is a partial subset of available articles on this topic. Others
can be found in Area 51 Articles.
Articles after 1/1/97 are found in the User Links
section below.
- 11/8/96:
Court overturns Area 51 ruling. Feds won't be allowed to interview
workers*,
Las Vegas Sun.
- 10/16/96:
"Ex-workers:
Judge ignored Area 51 evidence: Pro removal, opening of records
sought,"
reports the 10/14 Las Vegas Sun, recording the filing of 118-page
appeal.
A Las Vegas federal judge is accused of ignoring the law and repeatedly
ruling against former Area 51 workers in a lawsuit over alleged unlawful
burning of toxic waste at the once-secret military base.
The workers charge that U.S. District Judge Philip Pro refused to examine
any evidence that would support their allegations and perhaps reveal
that the
government lied or at least exaggerated its claims of national security.
- 9/16/96:
Workers Appeal Area 51 Ruling* reports the Las Vegas Sun.
- 8/28/96, Las Vegas Review-Journal:
"Appeal Expected on Groom Lake",
indicates that the appeal of the Area 51 hazardous waste lawsuit
was probably filed in San Francisco.
Former workers at the Air Force Groom Lake base today will appeal
the dismissal of a federal
lawsuit claiming they were made ill and injured by environmental crimes
at the installation.
- 8/7/96, London Observer,
Nightmare in Dreamland. Hack Journalism from Britain, this
time from the otherwise respectable
London Observer. See how many errors you can find.
- News Article
: Denver Post, "Rocky
Flats Grand Jury Sues To Tell All ", 8/2/96. Jonathan Turley,
the lawyer representing the widows and former workers in the Area
51 hazardous waste lawsuit, is also the lawyer for a grand jury in
a similar case at Rocky Flats.
- News Article
: Las Vegas Sun, "Feds
investigating burning of hazardous waste at Area 51," 8/8/96.
- News Article
:
Las Vegas Review-Journal, "U.S.
Investigation into Air Force Base Winds Down," 8/8/96.
- News Article
:Las Vegas Sun,
"News
Briefs - Judgement Awarded," Turley gets legal fees.7/25/96
- Televison Transcript
: KLAS-TV Broadcast.
Report on relase of documents pertaining to waste lawsuit.
7/18/96.
- News Article
: Las Vegas Sun, "Judge releases Groom Lake
files." Fed documents used in lawsuit made public. By Mary
Manning, 7/17/96.
- Televison Transcript
: 60 Minutes, "Area 51: Catch 22."
Producer, Richard Bonin, correpondent, Leslie Stahl. Report on lawsuit
against Air Force. 3/17/96.
- News Article
: "Groom Lake Suit Bounced: A
federal judge dismisses an action brought by former workers at a
classified Air Force facility", by Warren Bates. Las Vegas Review
Journal, 3/7/96.
- News Article
: "Unions Win Representation
Elections For Workers At Groom Lake." Company holding a
top-secret Defense Department contract cuts deals with three unions
allowing elections. Las Vegas Review Journal, 2/17/96.
- News Article
: "A
Secret Air Base Broke the Law on Waste, Lawsuit Alleges; Government
Stonewalls". The Wall Street Journal, 2/08/96.
- Government Document
: Determination Exempting USAF
from Conservation Laws. Letter from the President to the Speaker of
the House the President of the Senate concerning the 9/29/95 exemption.
1/31/96.
- News Article
: "Television Station Loses Bid to Have
Material Opened Up", Las Vegas Review-Journal. Short
article reports the KLAS-TV motion in toxic suit dismissed, 01/23/96.
- News Article
: "Groom
Lake Secrets Tougher To Keep: Judge Rejects Government Argument To
Ease Conditions For Secrecy", Las Vegas Review-Journal,
1/23/96.
- News Article
: Las Vegas Review-Journal, "Groom Lake Secrets Tougher To
Keep: Judge Rejects Government Argument To Ease Conditions For
Secrecy", 1/13/96.
- News Article
: "Groom lake lawyer targets
exemption in workers' toxic contaminants lawsuit", Las Vegas
Review-Journal, 12/13/95.
- Press Release
: Prof. Turley responds to
presidential exemption, 10/12/95.
- Government Document
: Clinton's order
exempting Area 51 from environmental reporting, 9/29/95.
- Editorial Cartoon
: "Trust US: Groom Lake Is A Safe
Place To Work," by Jim Day, Las Vegas Review-Journal,
10/6/95. (100k)
- News Article
: "Area 51 Suffered Effects
Of Nearby Nuclear Testing", by Peter W. Merlin, Aerotech News
and Review, 10/20/95. (See related
article.)
- News Article
: "Open
Groom Hearings, TV Station Urges Judge" Las Vegas
Review-Journal, 10/4/95.
- News Article
: "Groom Lake Chemicals Can Be Secret: A presidential exemption
counters workers who have lawsuits pending against the federal
government." Las Vegas Review-Journal, 10/3/95.
- News Article
: "Feds Forced To Act On Groom Lake: The government must either
declassify an EPA report about the base or seek a formal exemption."
Las Vegas Review-Journal, 9/2/95.
- News Article
: "Groom Lake Rulings Filed."
Las Vegas Review-Journal, July 27, 1995. Government seeks
dismissal of lawsuit. "Recent incidents" mentioned.
- News Article
: "Government Tries to Stop Groom
Attorney." Las Vegas Review-Journal, July 13, 1995.
- News Article
: "Groom Lake Litigation
Tests Government's Secrecy Standards." Legal Times,
June 26, 1995.
- News Article
: "Attorney In Groom Lake Lawsuit
Says He Won't Have To Surrender His Files." Las Vegas
Review-Journal, June 21, 1995.
- News Editorial
: "Tossing Out Chaff: Air Force
Accountability Not Detectable." Las Vegas
Review-Journal, June 19, 1995.
- News Article
: "Attorney: U.S. Trying To Seize
Groom Lake Lawsuit Files." Las Vegas Review-Journal,
June 17, 1995.
- News Article
: "Groom Lake Plaintiff Succumbs To
Cancer." Las Vegas Review-Journal, June 14, 1995.
- News Article
: "Judge Asked To Toss Out Groom
Lake Suit." Las Vegas Review-Journal, May 25, 1995.
- Press Release
: "'Groom Lake' Attorney Turley
Files Motion Against Government's Invocation Of Military And State
Secrets Privilege." George Washington University, March 15, 1995.
- News Article
: "Fed Lawyer's Ouster Asked in Groom Suit."
Brief on legal maneuver: Turley asks that Gov't atty Sarver be removed
from dual representation. Las Vegas Sun, Jan. 12, 1995.
- News Article
: "National Security Defense Cut
From Groom Lawsuit." Las Vegas Review-Journal, Nov.
11, 1994.
- Press Release
: "GW
Law Professor Jonathan Turley Files For Change Of Venue From Nevada To
Washington, D.C. In Groom Lake Environmental Crime Case." George
Washington University, Nov. 1, 1994.
- News Article
: "Groom Lake Toxic Burning
Alleged." Las Vegas Review-Journal, March 20, 1994.
Court Docket Sheets
Below are docket sheets for the court case, Frost vs. Perry. A docket
sheet is an index
listing of motions and other documents that have been filed in the case.
Because these documents could not easily be converted into text, they
are stored here as .jpg graphic files. Each is 80-140k. The original
complaint was filed 8/15/94. The latest date on the sheets below
is 3/7/96. (Other docket sheets will be added shortly.)
- Docket sheet #1, the cover sheet
listing parties and their lawyers.
- Docket sheet #2, starting 8/15/94,
Document #1
- Docket sheet #3, starting 11/3/94, #13a
- Docket sheet #4, starting 2/9/95, #25
- Docket sheet #5, starting 3/24/95, #38
- Docket sheet #6, starting 4/13/95, #48
- Docket sheet #7, starting 6/6/95, #62
- Docket sheet #8, starting 6/19/95, #73
- Docket sheet #9, starting 7/5/95, #85
- Docket sheet #10, starting 7/18/95, #98
- Docket sheet #11, starting 7/25/95, #112
- Docket sheet #12, starting 7/31/95, #127
- Docket sheet #13, starting 9/1/95, #142
- Docket sheet #14, starting 10/4/95, #155
- Docket sheet #15, starting 11/2/95, #170
- Docket sheet #16, starting 11/21/95,
#182
- Docket sheet #17, starting 1/10/96, #195
- Docket sheet #18, starting 2/29/96, #206
Judgment dismisses case, 3/6/96.
Missing document #217 at bottom, an OPPOSITION.
- Docket sheet #19, starting 4/8/96, #218
Missing notations for #234 at bottom.
- Docket sheet #20, starting 6/27/96, #235
Redacted versions of sealed documents are released.
- Docket sheet #21, starting 8/8/96, #248
- Docket sheet #22, starting 8/29/96, #260
- Docket sheet #23, starting 9/24/96,
#267A
- Current as of 10/9/96
Created: 1995
Last Modified: 2/7/97 gc.e
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