Subject: Angelos getting cold feet??? (Weller).
Date: Mon, 08 Jan 2001 190343 -0600
From: Roy Beavers
To: guru
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........From EMF-L.......
Notice the source of this story......guru.....
-------- Original Message --------
Subject: RCR Article (in case it didn't come through before)
Date: Mon, 08 Jan 2001 15:08:34 -0800
From: rweller@h-e.com (Robert D. Weller, Hammett & Edison, Inc.)
Organization: Hammett & Edison, Inc.
To: roy@emfguru.com
Angelos says expanded lawsuit claims are exaggerated
January 1, 2001
By Jeffrey Silva
WASHINGTON”Baltimore superlawyer Peter Angelos confirmed he may take over
mobile phone-cancer litigation in Maryland that was dealt a major legal
setback recently, but he distanced himself from press reports last week that
said his law firm intended to file lawsuits around the country against the
wireless industry.
——Contrary to reports in the news media, although we are currently considering
becoming involved in a case in Baltimore, we have not at this time reached a
decision to file suit against any company in the wireless phone industry,
whether manufacturer, distributor or service provider. Any stories about our
intentions to bring suit against specific companies are presently speculative,
if not incorrect,˜˜ said Angelos in a written statement Friday.
A story published last Tuesday by The Times of London, which reported Angelos
planned to file 10 lawsuits against the U.S. mobile-phone industry, was picked
up by news services and spread like wildfire for days after.
The Times story is attributed to John Pica, a lawyer at the Angelos law firm
and a former Maryland state legislator. ——If these companies knew about the
dangers of mobile-phone radiation they should be punished and they should be
punished dearly: not only for what they did to the public, but for the
billions of pounds of profits they made,˜˜ Pica told The Times.
Pica, according to The Times, said three lawsuits would be filed in Maryland,
Kentucky and California before March and the other seven during the rest of
this year. The Times also had Pica saying Verizon Wireless, 45-percent held by
Great Britain stalwart Vodafone Group plc and the largest U.S. mobile-phone
operator, would be named in nearly all the lawsuits. Pica said the suits would
name wireless carriers, landline telephone companies and equipment
manufacturers as defendants.
——We˜re not aware of any filings from Mr. Angelos,˜˜ said Andrea Linskey, a
Verizon Wireless spokeswoman.
A nearly identical story, quoting an unnamed member of Angelos˜ law firm,
appeared three weeks ago in Microwave News, a trade newsletter.
Angelos told RCR Wireless News recently he planned to assume control of an
$800 million mobile phone-cancer lawsuit filed by Baltimore lawyer Joanne
Suder on behalf of a 42-year-old neurologist. A federal court in Maryland on
Dec. 21 threw out several claims in the lawsuit and gave Suder until Jan. 16
to file amended complaints against Motorola Inc., Verizon Communications, the
Cellular Telecommunications & Internet Association and the Telecommunications
Industry Association.
Though Angelos pulled back from Pica˜s statements, the mere possibility that a
well-heeled, successful litigator like Angelos, might be targeting Verizon
sent Vodafone stock tumbling in London trading. According to one U.K. press
report, Vodafone lost 2 percent”or nearly $3 billion”as a result of the news
stories.
The Angelos law firm has earned more than $1 billion in personal injury claims
against tobacco and asbestos manufacturers. Angelos, owner of the Baltimore
Orioles and a leading Democratic benefactor, also is pursuing personal injury
lawsuits against lead paint makers and a government agency that uses audio
tape erasing machines that produce strong electromagnetic fields.
The reason for the conflicting signals coming from Angelos and Pica is
unclear. Pica has been leading the law firm˜s investigation of claims that
mobile phones cause brain cancer in recent years.
New epidemiology studies found no near-term link between mobile phones and
cancer, though the interpretation of findings has come under attack by Dr.
George Carlo, the scientist who headed a six-year, $28 million cancer research
program funded by wireless carriers and manufacturers.
Other research, including some conducted by Carlo, has found genetic damage,
DNA breaks and increased cancer in rodents exposed to mobile-phone radiation.
In a new book, Carlo criticizes the cellular industry, Food and Drug
Administration and Congress for not doing more to protect the nation˜s 107
million mobile phone subscribers against possible health risks.
CTIA was not available for comment.
In addition to litigation, sources say Angelos plans to fund new mobile phone-
cancer research.
——Our review of materials so far has raised questions about the safety of
frequent usage of cell phones,˜˜ said Angelos. ——We do not believe that the
recently published results of research projects financed by the cellular
telephone interests preclude the possibility that electromagnetic radiation
emitted by these phones may cause harmful biological effects.˜˜
Angelos said his law firm has been contacted during the last two years by many
people who believe their injuries were caused by heavy cell-phone usage.
——Should we decide to proceed with litigation against any concern, we will
make an appropriate announcement at that time,˜˜ Angelos stated.
Archive provided courtesy of WaveGuide, http://www.wave-guide.org
Reprinted with permission of Roy Beavers, http://www.emfguru.com