Agent Orange victims file lawsuit against US firms

THREE Vietnamese claiming to be victims of Agent Orange have filed a lawsuit against the US companies that produced the defoliant used by US forces during the Vietnam War.

The lawsuit, filed with the help of the Vietnam Association for Victims of Agent Orange, was submitted to the US District Court in Brooklyn, NY, on January 30, the group’s vice-president, Nguyen Trong Nhan, said.

He said it was the first lawsuit of its kind filed by Vietnamese against US firms, and that the Brooklyn court was chosen because it had handled similar cases filed by former US soldiers.

Mr Nhan said 10 companies are named in the suit, though he declined to specify which. Dow Chemical Co and Monsanto were two of the primary producers of Agent Orange.

The three plaintiffs were Nguyen Van Quy and two women, Nguyen Thi Phi Phi and Duong Quynh Hoa. All in areas sprayed with Agent Orange, Nhan said.