COURT TAKES ON AGENT ORANGE DISPUTE

The Supreme Court announced today that it will decide whether the federal government must cover the liabilities of chemical companies that manufactured Agent Orange for use during the Vietnam War. The companies are seeking $31 million from the government to reimburse them for a legal settlement with Vietnam veterans over health problems that they claim stemmed from contact with the defoliant. The firms say the government should pay because it required them to manufacture the chemical for wartime use.