GADSDEN
The judge in the Monsanto PCB trial lifted his finding of contempt for the attorneys involved in the trial Tuesday and ordered a recess in trial proceedings for the remainder of the week.
The trial will resume next Tuesday at 9 a.m. with testimony from additional plaintiffs
Calhoun County Circuit Judge Joel Laird told the jury he is encouraged by informal discussions between the attorneys aimed at helping the trial to move smoothly and quickly to a conclusion.
"We are going to spend the rest of the week to get all of that in the position it needs to be," he said.
Laird had chastised and threatened to punish the attorneys on Monday for not being fully prepared to present the upcoming trial testimony, which will involve the individual claims of more than 3,500 plaintiffs who accuse Monsanto of polluting their properties and blood with PCBs.
He also ordered the opposing parties into settlement negotiations this weekend, including top executives from the three corporations named in the case - Solutia, Monsanto and Pharmacia.
Laird told The Anniston Star Tuesday morning that he feels the attorneys have "come around and shown a great spirit of cooperation and have given some good ideas for streamlining the case."
