MISSOULA, Mont., May 8 /PRNewswire/ -- Weil Gotshal announced today that its
client, Robert J. Bettacchi, a former officer of W. R. Grace, was found not
guilty on all charges today when the jury issued its verdict in U.S. v. W. R.
Grace in US District Court in Missoula, Montana. The company, W. R. Grace, as
well as several other former executives were also found not guilty.
Thomas C. Frongillo, who served as lead Weil Gotshal attorney for Mr.
Bettacchi during the eleven week trial, commented, "We have always been
confident that Mr. Bettacchi acted in compliance with the law, and we thank
the jury for sifting through the extensive evidence presented at trial and
reaching this swift and just verdict."
Mr. Bettacchi was charged with knowingly releasing a hazardous air pollutant
(asbestos) and knowingly endangering the residents of Libby, Montana, which is
the most serious criminal offense under the Clean Air Act and can result in a
prison sentence of up to 15 years. Mr. Bettacchi was also charged with
engaging in a conspiracy to defraud the United States by withholding
information about the tremolite in Libby vermiculite.
Weil, Gotshal & Manges (www.weil.com), an international law firm of over 1,300
lawyers, including approximately 300 partners, is headquartered in New York,
with offices in Austin, Beijing, Boston, Budapest, Dallas, Dubai, Frankfurt,
Hong Kong, Houston, London, Miami, Munich, Paris, Prague, Providence,
Shanghai, Silicon Valley, Warsaw, Washington, D.C. and Wilmington.
SOURCE Weil Gotshal & Manges LLP
Mike Ford, +1-212-833-3999, mford@weil.com
