Initial Publication Date: October 17, 2007
Woburn Toxic Trial Chronology
For most complicated cases, like the Woburn Toxic Trial, it is not uncommon for the trial process to span several years. Although the Woburn trial took place from March through July 1986, the trial process extended from 1979, when families of leukemia victims first began to organize, into 1990, when the last appeals submitted by the plaintiffs' attorneys were denied. Tabulated below is a chronology of entire trial process in the case that eventually became Ann Anderson et al. v. W.R. Grace & Co. et al. Accounts of many of these events can be read in the collection of newspaper articles.
1979
| May 22, 1979 | City of Woburn closes Wells G and H because of identified contamination. |
| October 4, 1979 | Rev. Bruce Young begins organizing families who have had leukemia diagnosed for one or more family members. |
1980
| August, 1980 | First meeting between attorneys and families with members having been diagosed with leukemia. |
| October, 1980 | Families engage an attorney (Mulligan) |
1981
| May 1981 | Jan Schlichtmann meets with families on behalf of Mulligan. |
1982
| May 14, 1982 | Family's file complaint in Massachusetts Superior Court for Middlesex alleging contamination of Wells G and H by Beatrice (John J. Riley Tannery) and W.R. Grace (Cryovac) causing the unusual occurrence of leukemia in Woburn. |
| May 19, 1982 | Summons served on Grace and Beatrice regarding the family's complaint. |
| June 9, 1982 | W.R. Grace files answers to the complaint in state court. |
| October 7, 1982 | Plaintiffs initiate pretrial discovery presenting interrogatories to W.R. Grace and Beatrice. |
| November 9, 1982 | Rule 11 invoked by W.R. Grace. |
| December 15, 1982 | Rule 11 hearing with Judge Skinner. |
1983
| January 6, 1983 | Second hearing on Rule 11 motion. |
| February 7, 1983 | W.R. Grace answers to interrogatories (initial response) |
| December 1983 | Formation of Schlichtmann, Conway and Crowley. |
1984
| May 18, 1984 | W.R. Grace requests summary judgment. |
| July 25, 1984 | Judge Skinner denies summary judgment. |
| September 5, 1984 | Parties begin scheduling order for depositions. |
| October 26, 1984 | Judge Skinner allows impleader of UniFirst. |
1985
| January 7, 1985 | Beginning of depositions; Schlichtmann, Conway and Crowley initiate assessment of Riley property. |
| September 1985 | WGBH and Chedd-Angier move to intervene to use deposition information make the Woburn story into a documentary. |
| December 1985 | CBS, Inc. files a Complaint of Intervenor for case information regarding their development of a '60 Minutes' segment regarding Woburn; first deposition of George Pinder, the plaintiffs hydrogeology expert. |
1986
| January 1986 | Depositions of plaintiff's and defendant's other experts. Depositions finalized on January 22, 1986. |
| January 29, 1986 | First day of Pretrial conference, Judge Skinner announces intent to divide the trial into separate phases, the first phase requiring demonstration of the defendants contamination of the Wells. |
| February 17, 1986 | First day of Jury Impanelment, jury selection continues through February 25. |
| March 2, 1986 | '60 Minutes' airs segment titled "What Killed Jimmy Anderson". |
| March 10, 1986 | Trial begins with plaintiffs presenting their case. |
| June 2, 1986 | Defendants move for directed verdicts. Defendants experts begin testimony. |
| June 9, 1986 | Judge Skinner's ruling on directed verdicts. |
| July 1, 1986 | The jury visits the Woburn site. |
| July 14, 1986 | Closing arguments. |
| July 15, 1986 | Judge Skinner provides jurors a wordy questionnaire regarding the timing of contamination and specific contaminants that affected wells G and H. |
| July 28, 1986 | Jurors reach verdict: Beatrice acquitted, Grace found potentially liable for contamination of Wells. Phase 1 of the trial ends. The next phase, demonstrating cause of injury by the defendant (Grace) is scheduled to begin in September. |
| September 21, 1986 | Phase 2 of the trial begins. |
| September 22, 1986 | Judge Skinner announces grant of new trial for Grace. Plaintiffs and Grace reach a settlement. Skinner dismisses the jury. |
| October 31, 1986 | Plaintiffs file an appeal against Beatrice. |
1987
| 1987 | US Geological Survey releases "Area of Influence and Zone of Contribution to Superfund Site Wells G & H, Woburn Massachusetts. |
| September 1987 | Plaintiffs made aware of the 1983 "Yankee" report. |
| October 26, 1987 | Hearings on plaintiffs motion for vacation of judgment regarding Beatrice. |
1988
| January 22, 1988 | Judge Skinner denies motion for new trial against Beatrice. |
| January 25, 1988 | Plaintiffs appeal Judge Skinner's ruling against retrial of Beatrice. |
| July 27, 1988 | Oral arguments in the Court of Appeals regarding requests for new trial. |
| December 22, 1988 | Judge Skinner issues further orders regarding requests of appeals. |
1990
| April 30, 1990 | United States Court of Appeals denies plaintiffs request for a rehearing the case. |
1991
| July 1991 | EPA finalized as a $69.5 million settlement with responsible parties for the cleanup of Wells G & H Superfund site. The responsible parties include Beatrice, Grace, UniFirst and Riley. |
