Agent Orange Shocker: Weinstein Dismisses Lawsuit

I suggested last week that the Vietnamese Agent Orange lawsuit against U.S. chemical companies had a good chance of success because the presiding judge was the legendary Jack Weinstein of Brooklyn. Boy was I wrong.

Judge Weinstein dismissed the lawsuit today only 3 days after hearing arguments in the case finding that the plaintiffs had no basis for their claims under Vietnamese, New York, or international law. The stunning 233 page ruling appears to reject all of the plaintiffs’ claims, including their interesting but somewhat radical claims that U.S. use of Agent Orange violated customary international laws of the war and various treaties.

The decision is, of course, appealable. But don’t hold your breath. If the plaintiffs can’t convince Judge Weinstein, who can they convince?