PROTECT CONSUMER JUSTICE.ORG

Charleston (W.Va.) Gazette: The disaster that killed 29 miners at West Virginia’s Upper Big Branch coal mine in April 2010 was “entirely preventable,” according to a report on the incident by the U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration.

Charleston (W.Va.) Gazette: The owners of a West Virginia coal mine where 29 miners died in an explosion in April 2010 will pay $200 million to resolve civil enforcement actions and some criminal matters relating to the disaster.

Wall Street Journal: A federal grand jury indicted the chief of security at the Massey Energy Company on charges of lying to investigators and ordering the destruction of security-related documents.

Rolling Stone: Reporter Jeff Goodell tells the story of Don Blankenship, the coal mining executive who turned Massey Energy into a “national symbol of lethal greed.”

A California judge threw out a $2.3 million jury verdict against Dole over its use of a pesticide in Nicaragua, filed by workers who said they had suffered sterility and other health issues. Dole accused the workers and lawyers of concocting a fraud.

Only the naive believe corporations operate with the public good in mind. And it’s lawyers with access to the courts that keep them (somewhat) honest.

New York Times: The company contends the government is improperly trying to tell companies to prevent “crowd trampling” as an occupational hazard.