{"id":262284,"date":"2026-02-24T16:18:55","date_gmt":"2026-02-24T23:18:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/montanafreepress.org\/?p=262284"},"modified":"2026-02-24T16:21:48","modified_gmt":"2026-02-24T23:21:48","slug":"appeals-court-sides-with-bnsf-railway-in-dispute-with-libby-asbestos-victims","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/montanafreepress.org\/2026\/02\/24\/appeals-court-sides-with-bnsf-railway-in-dispute-with-libby-asbestos-victims\/","title":{"rendered":"Federal appeals court sides with BNSF Railway in dispute with Libby asbestos victims"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>A federal appeals court on Tuesday sided with railroad giant BNSF Railway in a case filed by the estates of two Libby asbestos victims who died from cancer after living near the company\u2019s contaminated rail yard decades ago.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In the unanimous finding, an Oregon-based panel of three judges from the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reversed a 2024 Montana federal court ruling that asbestos contamination at BNSF\u2019s rail yard had <a href=\"https:\/\/montanafreepress.org\/2025\/10\/20\/railroad-giant-seeks-to-overturn-montana-asbestos-liability-verdict\/\">contributed to the 2020 deaths of Joyce Walder and Thomas Wells<\/a>. BNSF shipped asbestos-tainted vermiculite products nationwide from the 20-acre site in downtown Libby throughout much of the 20th century.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div data-wp-interactive=\"core\/file\" class=\"wp-block-file aligncenter\"><object data-wp-bind--hidden=\"!state.hasPdfPreview\" hidden class=\"wp-block-file__embed\" data=\"https:\/\/montanafreepress.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Wells-Ninth-Circuit-Opinion.pdf\" type=\"application\/pdf\" style=\"width:100%;height:706px\" aria-label=\"PDF embed\"><\/object><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>The decision, authored by Judge Morgan B. Christen, cited federal \u201ccommon carrier\u201d laws that broadly shield railroad companies from liability related to the products they are contracted to transport.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe conclude that BNSF is protected from strict liability by the common carrier exception. Plaintiffs\u2019 claims arose from activities BNSF engaged in while pursuing its statutorily imposed duty as a common carrier,\u201d the opinion read. \u201cWe therefore reverse the district court\u2019s judgment and remand with instructions to enter judgment for BNSF.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The appellate court decision dealt a victory to BNSF Railway, a Texas-based subsidiary of Warren Buffett\u2019s Berkshire Hathaway empire since 2010, and delivered a blow to plaintiffs who <a href=\"https:\/\/montanafreepress.org\/2025\/10\/21\/bnsf-railway-fights-libby-asbestos-case-in-federal-appeal\/\">sought to establish for the first time in federal court<\/a> that the railroad company is liable for its part in the broad public health disaster in Libby. Public health experts have estimated that hundreds of people died and thousands were sickened from asbestos-related illnesses related to widespread vermiculite mining operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In the lead-up to the court\u2019s decision, legal experts said the fate of the Libby case at the 9th Circuit could bolster or undermine hundreds of other asbestos cases against BNSF pending in Montana courts.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Speaking to Montana Free Press about the case in October, state District Court Judge Amy Eddy, who oversees the state\u2019s Asbestos Claims Court, said that a victory for BNSF at the 9th Circuit could lead the railway to \u201cmove to dismiss all pending cases in the Asbestos Claims Court related to its activities in Libby during this period of time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\t<div\n\t\tclass=\"wp-block-newspack-blocks-homepage-articles  wpnbha show-image image-alignbehind ts-3 is-3 is-landscape \"\n\t\tstyle=\"\"\n\t\t>\n\t\t<div data-posts data-current-post-id=\"262284\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"article-section-title\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<span>related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t<article data-post-id=\"255349\"\n\t\tclass=\"tag-9th-u-s-circuit-court-of-appeals tag-asbestos tag-bnsf-railway tag-jackson-wells tag-jinnifer-mariman tag-joyce-walder tag-judith-hemphill tag-libby tag-mcgarvey-law tag-mesothelioma tag-thomas-wells category-public-health type-post post-has-image\"\n\t\t\t\tstyle=\"min-height: 0vh; padding-top: 0vh;\"\n\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"post-thumbnail\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/montanafreepress.org\/2025\/10\/20\/railroad-giant-seeks-to-overturn-montana-asbestos-liability-verdict\/\" rel=\"bookmark\" tabindex=\"-1\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"681\" src=\"https:\/\/montanafreepress.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/20251019LM-Libby-0010.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-post-image\" alt=\"Why two Libby asbestos victims may never receive an $8 million judgment\" data-hero-candidate=\"1\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw \/ 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw \/ 12)), 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure><!-- .featured-image -->\n\t\t\n\t\t<div class=\"entry-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"entry-title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/montanafreepress.org\/2025\/10\/20\/railroad-giant-seeks-to-overturn-montana-asbestos-liability-verdict\/\" rel=\"bookmark\">Why two Libby asbestos victims may never receive an $8 million judgment<\/a><\/h3>\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>In a court appearance before the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, attorneys for BNSF Railway are expected to push to reverse a 2024 jury verdict stemming from Libby\u2019s asbestos contamination, arguing that the company didn\u2019t know it was transporting hazardous materials. In court filings, BNSF has also said it is protected by a federal law that requires railroad companies to carry products across state lines. <\/p>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"entry-meta\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"byline\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"author-prefix\">by<\/span> <span class=\"author vcard\"><a class=\"url fn n\" href=\"https:\/\/montanafreepress.org\/author\/mara-silvers\/\">Mara Silvers<\/a><\/span>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span><!-- .author-name -->\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2025-10-20T15:56:44-06:00\">10.20.2025<\/time><time class=\"updated\" datetime=\"2025-10-22T14:14:59-06:00\">10.22.2025<\/time>\t\t\t\t<\/div><!-- .entry-meta -->\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div><!-- .entry-wrapper -->\n\t<\/article>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t<\/div>\n\t\n\n\n<p>A BNSF spokesperson declined to comment to MTFP about the ruling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In a written statement to MTFP, an attorney for the estates of Wells and Walder criticized the court\u2019s ruling and said they were considering next steps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe respect the Court but disagree with its decision and believe it misapplied Montana law,\u201d said Jinnifer Mariman, an attorney with the Kalispell-based McGarvey Law Firm. \u201cWe are talking with our clients and evaluating our options for an appeal.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>BNSF spent much of the 20th century shipping asbestos-tainted vermiculite products from Libby to locations nationwide \u2014 materials that had been extracted from a vermiculite mine owned by W.R. Grace. The plaintiffs&#8217; attorneys argued in court in 2024 that the byproducts of those materials, also contaminated with asbestos, built up in the soil around the company\u2019s rail yard.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In legal filings, BNSF attorneys strongly denied that the railway knew of the toxic effects of asbestos until after journalists and federal health regulators unveiled Libby\u2019s widespread contamination in the 1990s. The Environmental Protection Agency designated much of the town and the surrounding area a Superfund site in 2002.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>W.R. Grace filed for bankruptcy in 2001, establishing a trust for injured residents sickened by asbestos. The company emerged from bankruptcy in 2014.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"681\" src=\"https:\/\/montanafreepress.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/20251019LM-Libby-0001-1-1024x681.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-255754\" srcset=\"https:\/\/montanafreepress.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/20251019LM-Libby-0001-1-1024x681.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/montanafreepress.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/20251019LM-Libby-0001-1-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/montanafreepress.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/20251019LM-Libby-0001-1-768x511.jpg 768w, https:\/\/montanafreepress.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/20251019LM-Libby-0001-1-1536x1022.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/montanafreepress.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/20251019LM-Libby-0001-1-2048x1363.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/montanafreepress.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/20251019LM-Libby-0001-1-1200x799.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/montanafreepress.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/20251019LM-Libby-0001-1-600x400.jpg?crop=1 600w, https:\/\/montanafreepress.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/20251019LM-Libby-0001-1-2000x1331.jpg 2000w, https:\/\/montanafreepress.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/20251019LM-Libby-0001-1-780x519.jpg 780w, https:\/\/montanafreepress.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/20251019LM-Libby-0001-1-400x266.jpg 400w, https:\/\/montanafreepress.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/20251019LM-Libby-0001-1-706x470.jpg 706w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Lights inside businesses and homes around Libby illuminate the darkening sky Oct. 14, 2025. <span class=\"image-credit\"><span class=\"credit-label-wrapper\">Credit:<\/span> Lauren Miller, Montana Free Press, CatchLight Local\/Report for America<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>BNSF Railway\u2019s liability has been argued extensively in Montana courts, where the company has faced waves of lawsuits from former Libby residents. But the question of the extent of the federal common carrier protections had been largely untested until the Wells and Walder case was filed in 2021.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>During the case\u2019s 2024 trial, the jury rejected the claim that the railway company had acted negligently in the management of its rail yard, but agreed that BNSF was \u201cstrictly liable\u201d for the harm caused by that contamination. The jury <a href=\"https:\/\/flatheadbeacon.com\/2024\/04\/22\/jury-bnsf-railway-contributed-to-two-deaths-in-libby-where-asbestos-sickened-thousands\/\">awarded each of the plaintiff\u2019s estates $4 million<\/a> in damages.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In its appeal, BNSF argued that the lower federal court had incorrectly interpreted the \u201ccommon carrier\u201d protections afforded to railroads. The condition of its rail yard, attorneys said, was <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/DQIM8-9ATcV\/\">inherently connected to its transportation duties<\/a> protected under federal law.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In its Tuesday ruling, the panel of judges from the 9th Circuit endorsed that part of BNSF\u2019s argument.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cFederal law defines \u2018transportation\u2019 broadly to include \u2018delivery,\u2019 \u2018storage,\u2019 \u2018handling,\u2019 and \u2018services related to [the] movement\u2019 of property. Plaintiffs\u2019 theory of liability thus stems directly from BNSF\u2019s statutory duty to transport vermiculite concentrate,\u201d the ruling said.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The lower federal court opinion from U.S. District Court Judge Brian Morris in Montana concluded in 2024 that BNSF\u2019s failure to maintain its rail yard was an action taken in its own corporate interest, rather than as a part of its duties to the public as a common carrier. But the panel of 9th Circuit Court judges found that attorneys for the plaintiffs offered no evidence to prove that point \u2014 an argument of wrongdoing that would have veered closely to prior claims about the company\u2019s alleged negligence, which a jury rejected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Federal and state caselaw, the appellate court concluded, supported the finding that BNSF is entitled to federal common carrier protections.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201c[I]t is uncontested that the asbestos dust that accumulated in BNSF\u2019s rail yard leaked or escaped from rail cars during BNSF\u2019s required transportation of vermiculite concentrate. The fact that the dust accumulated gradually along the railroad tracks and in BNSF\u2019s rail yard, rather than spilling abruptly, does not alter our analysis because the gradual spillage still occurred during BNSF\u2019s shipment of vermiculite,\u201d the ruling said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Attorneys for plaintiffs and BNSF could file new motions in other state and federal asbestos cases in the coming weeks based on the 9th Circuit Court ruling.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-light-gray-background-color has-background\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\t<div\n\t\tclass=\"wp-block-newspack-blocks-homepage-articles  wpnbha ts-2 \"\n\t\tstyle=\"\"\n\t\t>\n\t\t<div data-posts data-current-post-id=\"262284\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"article-section-title\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<span>LATEST STORIES<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t<article data-post-id=\"262736\"\n\t\tclass=\"tag-montana-insights category-montana-insights type-post post-has-image\"\n\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t<div class=\"entry-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"entry-title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/montanafreepress.org\/2026\/03\/03\/75-of-voters-want-montana-to-have-at-least-as-much-federal-land-as-it-does-now\/\" rel=\"bookmark\">75% of voters want Montana to have at least as much federal land as it does now<\/a><\/h3>\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Federal land transfer has been a party of the GOP party platform at both the state and national level, but a recent MTFP-Eagleton poll indicates that a majority of Republican voters oppose reducing the amount of land in federal ownership.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"entry-meta\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"byline\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"author-prefix\">by<\/span> <span class=\"author vcard\"><a class=\"url fn n\" href=\"https:\/\/montanafreepress.org\/author\/aeggert\/\">Amanda Eggert<\/a><\/span>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span><!-- .author-name -->\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2026-03-03T14:34:54-07:00\">03.03.2026<\/time><time class=\"updated\" datetime=\"2026-03-03T14:35:02-07:00\">03.03.2026<\/time>\t\t\t\t<\/div><!-- .entry-meta -->\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div><!-- .entry-wrapper -->\n\t<\/article>\n\n\t\t\n\t<article data-post-id=\"262727\"\n\t\tclass=\"tag-westerndev category-politics type-post post-has-image\"\n\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t<div class=\"entry-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"entry-title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/montanafreepress.org\/2026\/03\/03\/christi-jacobsen-zinke-western-house\/\" rel=\"bookmark\">Secretary of State Christi Jacobsen joins contest for Zinke\u2019s western U.S. House District seat<\/a><\/h3>\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Jacobsen made her announcement on Facebook with a campaign video portraying her as both a political outsider and the favorite of Donald Trump.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"entry-meta\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"byline\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"author-prefix\">by<\/span> <span class=\"author vcard\"><a class=\"url fn n\" href=\"https:\/\/montanafreepress.org\/author\/tom-lutey\/\">Tom Lutey<\/a><\/span>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span><!-- .author-name -->\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2026-03-03T12:29:26-07:00\">03.03.2026<\/time><time class=\"updated\" datetime=\"2026-03-03T22:45:03-07:00\">03.03.2026<\/time>\t\t\t\t<\/div><!-- .entry-meta -->\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div><!-- .entry-wrapper -->\n\t<\/article>\n\n\t\t\n\t<article data-post-id=\"262679\"\n\t\tclass=\"tag-bob-morris tag-data-centers tag-energy tag-greg-gianforte tag-montana-insights tag-northwestern-energy tag-public-service-commission tag-ryan-zinke tag-steve-daines tag-troy-downing tag-u-s-congress tag-unleashing-energy-task-force category-energy category-montana-insights type-post post-has-image\"\n\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t<div class=\"entry-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"entry-title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/montanafreepress.org\/2026\/03\/03\/montanans-want-more-solar-natural-gas-development-are-less-interested-in-new-coal-plants\/\" rel=\"bookmark\">Montanans want more solar, natural gas development, are less interested in new coal plants<\/a><\/h3>\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>The poll results on Montana\u2019s energy mix come as politicians and policymakers grapple with surging electricity demand spurred by investment in artificial intelligence and the data centers that support it.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"entry-meta\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"byline\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"author-prefix\">by<\/span> <span class=\"author vcard\"><a class=\"url fn n\" href=\"https:\/\/montanafreepress.org\/author\/aeggert\/\">Amanda Eggert<\/a><\/span>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span><!-- .author-name -->\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<time class=\"entry-date published updated\" datetime=\"2026-03-03T08:00:00-07:00\">03.03.2026<\/time>\t\t\t\t<\/div><!-- .entry-meta -->\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div><!-- .entry-wrapper -->\n\t<\/article>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In the unanimous finding, a panel of three judges from the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reversed a 2024 Montana federal court ruling that asbestos contamination at BNSF\u2019s rail yard had contributed to the 2020 deaths of Joyce Walder and Thomas Wells. BNSF shipped asbestos-tainted vermiculite products nationwide from the 20-acre site in downtown Libby. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1961,"featured_media":255294,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"single-feature.php","format":"standard","meta":{"everlit_article_id":"","everlit_hide_embed":false,"everlit_embed_size":"","everlit_generation_settings":[],"_everlit_article_id":"","_everlit_hide_embed":false,"_everlit_embed_size":"","_everlit_generation_settings":[],"_everlit_content_hash":"","_everlit_metadata_hash":"","newspack_ads_suppress_ads":false,"newspack_popups_has_disabled_popups":false,"newspack_sponsor_sponsorship_scope":"","newspack_sponsor_native_byline_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_native_category_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_style":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_placement":"inherit","apple_news_api_created_at":"2026-02-24T23:18:59Z","apple_news_api_id":"491dafb0-6fe0-4c0c-9e66-9dffb36f7888","apple_news_api_modified_at":"2026-02-24T23:21:52Z","apple_news_api_revision":"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABA==","apple_news_api_share_url":"https:\/\/apple.news\/ASR2vsG_gTAyeZp3_s294iA","apple_news_cover_media_provider":"image","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_cover_video_id":0,"apple_news_cover_video_url":"","apple_news_cover_embedwebvideo_url":"","apple_news_is_hidden":"","apple_news_is_paid":"","apple_news_is_preview":"","apple_news_is_sponsored":"","apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":[],"apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false,"_primary_brand":0,"_newspack_byline_active":false,"_newspack_byline":"","newspack_featured_image_position":"","newspack_post_subtitle":"The ruling is a victory for the Texas-based railway and a blow to plaintiffs in hundreds of other asbestos cases pending in Montana courts.\n","newspack_article_summary_title":"Overview:","newspack_article_summary":"","newspack_hide_updated_date":false,"newspack_show_updated_date":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"_wpas_customize_per_network":false},"categories":[541],"tags":[35562,599,36030,25994,964,605,35565],"post_format":[],"brand":[],"partner":[],"series":[],"newspack_spnsrs_tax":[],"type-of-work":[],"coauthors":[8651],"class_list":["post-262284","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-public-health","tag-9th-u-s-circuit-court-of-appeals","tag-asbestos","tag-berkshire-hathaway","tag-bnsf-railway","tag-brian-morris","tag-libby","tag-mcgarvey-law","entry"],"slp_mobile_featured_image":{"id":255294,"href":"https:\/\/montanafreepress.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/255294","image_path":"https:\/\/montanafreepress.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/20251019LM-Libby-0007.jpg","caption":"BNSF train cars sit at the Libby rail yard waiting to be picked up on Oct. 14, 2025. The area was found to be heavily contaminated with asbestos, a highly toxic mineral released by decades of local vermiculite mining, processing and shipping."},"slp_coauthors":[{"display_name":"Mara Silvers","user_nicename":"mara-silvers","author_link":"https:\/\/montanafreepress.org\/author\/mara-silvers\/"}],"slp_primary_category":{"id":541,"name":"Public Health"},"apple_news_notices":[],"yoast_head":"<title>Appeals court sides with BNSF Railway in dispute with Libby asbestos victims<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The ruling is a victory for the Texas-based railway and a blow to plaintiffs in hundreds of other asbestos cases pending in Montana courts.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/montanafreepress.org\/2026\/02\/24\/appeals-court-sides-with-bnsf-railway-in-dispute-with-libby-asbestos-victims\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Federal appeals court sides with BNSF Railway in dispute with Libby asbestos victims\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The ruling is a victory for the Texas-based railway and a blow to plaintiffs in hundreds of other asbestos cases pending in Montana courts.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/montanafreepress.org\/2026\/02\/24\/appeals-court-sides-with-bnsf-railway-in-dispute-with-libby-asbestos-victims\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Montana Free Press\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"http:\/\/facebook.com\/mtfreepress\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-02-24T23:18:55+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-02-24T23:21:48+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" 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