All KBR Burn Pit Litigation Dismissed; Military Personnel Plaintiffs Plan Appeal

A number of military personnel will appeal a federal trial court’s recent opinion finding that the political question doctrine barred their claims against contractor KBR Inc. alleging injuries from exposure to emissions from open burn pits and contaminated water at military bases in Iraq and Afghanistan, a plaintiffs’ attorney said March 6 (KBR Inc. Burn Pit Litigation, In re).

The U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland tossed the claims Feb. 27, saying dismissal also was appropriate under two exceptions to the Federal Tort Claims Act in the interests of national security.

The decision comes in a ...