It’s not easy suing big and powerful U.S. companies on U.S. soil and under the U.S. court system.
But even after Vietnamese plaintiffs were rebuffed last Friday when New York’s US Court of Appeals dismissed their claims against Dow Chemical Company, Monsanto and nearly 30 other manufacturers of “Agent Orange,” they’re not giving up. Their next stage of appeal is likely to be the U.S. Supreme Court.
While in 1984, seven companies (including Dow and Monsanto) agreed to a $180 million settlement with U.S. veterans who suffered from Agent Orange, no Vietnamese has ever received compensation. The United States maintains there is no scientifically proven link between the 79 million liters of Agent Orange the U.S. dropped during the Vietnam War and the dioxin poisoning of over 3 million Vietnamese.
The U.S. government is also claiming sovereign immunity in the case.
