Bikini Atoll Trust Misuse Claims ‘Weird,’ Need Probe, Judge Says

Claims that a trustee mismanaged funds intended to compensate the former residents of the Bikini Atoll for resettlements following nuclear weapons testing are too “weird” to be dismissed without further factual presentations, a Delaware judge said Wednesday.

The Bikinians and their governing council sued the Arden Trust Co. in Delaware Chancery Court, saying that due to the trustee’s lack of oversight over “extravagant disbursements,” one fund fell from $59 million to $29 million . Another fund still under Arden’s management plunged from $60 million to just $89,000.

“The circumstances as alleged—weird is the best adjective,” Vice Chancellor Nathan A. Cook ...