The Nation - News from Dec. 20, 1988

The Washington state Court of Appeals, noting there was no way to predict the timing or “staggering array of possible hazards” of the eruption of Mt. St. Helens, ruled the state of Washington is not liable for the deaths of 57 people killed in the volcano’s explosion. The three-judge panel in Seattle upheld the October, 1985, dismissal of a suit against the state by representatives of 14 of the 57 people killed by the eruption. The plaintiffs had argued the state failed to take appropriate action to keep people far enough away from the volcano. The top 1,300 feet of the mountain blew away on May 18, 1980. Judge W. R. Cole, writing for the appellate court, said it was clear from the record that no one knew when Mt. St. Helens would erupt.