45 Neighbors of Rocketdyne Field Lab Sue

SIMI VALLEY —  More than 40 people who live near the Santa Susana Field Laboratory filed a lawsuit against Rocketdyne’s parent company Friday, contending that their property was poisoned and robbed of value by “ultrahazardous activities” at the site.

The lawsuit comes two weeks after the release of a UCLA epidemiological study that linked Rocketdyne’s nuclear research to higher cancer death rates among some workers. Though no similar studies have been conducted of the surrounding communities, many neighboring residents think they are also at risk.

“The community feels that their property has been diminished in value and they are extremely concerned about the experiences they’ve received over the years,” said plaintiffs’ attorney Helen Zukin, who previously represented the Brandeis-Bardin Institute in a “toxic tort” against Rocketdyne.

“They are concerned about the quality and the speed of the present cleanup activities, and they are concerned about further testing of the community [for illness or exposure] and in the environment,” she continued.

In the claim, filed in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles, Rocketdyne neighbors allege that their property was contaminated or subject to chemical and radioactive exposure through the years. The complaint centers on the field lab--the site of nuclear research and chemical testing for decades--as well as the related Atomics International and Hughes Aircraft facilities in the west San Fernando Valley.

The suit against parent company Boeing North American Inc. claims that “ultrahazardous activities” at the field lab tainted the air, soil and ground water nearby.

It also contends that Rocketdyne “negligently, carelessly and recklessly generated, handled, stored, treated, disposed of and failed to control and contain hazardous and/or radioactive substances.”

A Rocketdyne spokesman declined to comment on the suit, citing a company policy that bars discussion of pending litigation.

“But I would remind you that our off-site contamination testing showed no signs of radiation contamination or chemical contamination that would pose a health threat to the local residents,” said Dan Beck, Rocketdyne’s media relations manager.

One of the 45 neighbors who signed on to the lawsuit is Santa Susana Knolls resident Barbara Johnson, who sat on the citizens oversight panel for the UCLA study.

“I’ve lived here for 27 years, and I’m going to continue to live here,” she said. “But I feel that if we were going to sell our property, the value would be diminished because of the problems with Rocketdyne--just the fact that it’s known that contamination has gotten off site.”

Johnson said she and her husband often heard the roar and saw plumes of smoke from rocket engine tests at the field lab.

“But we were complacent because we didn’t know what was happening up there until 1989, when we found out about the pollution,” she said. “And consequently from that, we learned they were coming through our neighborhood with hazardous waste trucks.”

The complaint filed Friday does not specify a dollar amount for damages, Zukin said. But it does seek compensation for lost property value and medical monitoring of the neighborhoods surrounding the field lab.

“The epidemiological study raised more questions than it answered, and these people believe they are entitled to receive answers,” she said. “Personal injury cases have been and will continue to be filed separately. We are filing individual personal injury cases on a periodic basis.”

It also seeks a court order that would require Rocketdyne to halt all “nuclear testing [and] using, destroying, burning and/or disposing of any hazardous and toxic materials on the facility.”

Rocketdyne has not done any nuclear work since the late 1980s, company spokesman Beck said. But it is in the midst of a $55-million cleanup of the Santa Susana Field Lab.

“What, they want us to stop doing that?” Beck asked.

Chris Ridout, another plaintiff’s attorney, said Friday’s filing is merely the “first wave” of lawsuits that will dog Rocketdyne.

Previously, Ridout’s firm and Zukin represented the Brandeis-Bardin Institute in a similar lawsuit against Rocketdyne, in which the Jewish cultural center claimed property devaluation. That case was settled out of court for an undisclosed amount.

Also pending against Rocketdyne is a class-action lawsuit from other neighbors who allege the field lab poisoned the land, water and ground in nearby areas.

An onslaught of other toxic torts wouldn’t surprise Beck.

“If the community meetings about the results of the [UCLA] health study were any indication--with lawyers swarming all over the room--then I would say [more lawsuits are] a pretty good bet.”