Libby natives say they offer human face to jury
Missoulians now, spectators say they attend trial to put a face on Libby’s plight for jury
By Carly Flandro
Grace Case Project reporter
Outside the courtroom, two people lingered, talking together.
The U.S. v. W.R. Grace case had just adjourned for lunch on Wednesday afternoon, and most of the attorneys, community members and court officials had quickly dispersed.
But Karen Wickersham was still visiting with her friend –- someone she’s known since she was three years old.
Wickersham and Larry Hill grew up about a block from each other in Libby, Mont., They both live in Missoula now, but much has changed since their childhood days.
Hill, a bald man clad in denim, has an oxygen tank slung around his shoulder. He has asbestosis now, a disease brought on by exposure to asbestos. Hill never worked at the mine that made many people sick, but living in Libby seems to have been enough, he said.
Wickersham’s sister Lynn Stanley was also outside the courtroom. Neither of the sisters has been diagnosed with asbestosis, they said, but that doesn’t mean it hasn’t affected them.
Their father, Bob Stanley, died from asbestosis. Like Hill, he never worked for W.R. Grace.
Their personal experiences make this case very important to them, they said.
“It’s amazing,” Stanley said.
“It’s painful,” Hill added.
“I feel like everybody failed Libby,” Wickersham said. “Grace is a bunch of bastards.”
Just two feet away, David M. Bernick, lead attorney for W.R. Grace sat at a table eating lunch — a sandwich and Sun Chips. He faced a large window, his back toward the Libby locals.
Stanley continued, saying she felt she had been betrayed. Libby was a beautiful place, idyllic even.
“We never locked our doors,” Hill said.
Wickersham said she regrets exposing her family to the dangers in Libby.
“If I would’ve known what was going on, I wouldn’t have raised my kids up there. I wouldn’t have raked, I wouldn’t have let my kids play in the dirt,” she said.
Watching the case, they said a lot of the statistics being discussed don’t represent the reality of Libby. More people have died from asbestos-related diseases than records show, Wickersham said, because for years death certificates often incorrectly listed the cause as heart disease or pneumonia.
“There just wasn’t much awareness,” she said.
Though the three Libby natives said they couldn’t be in court every day, they plan on coming whenever they can.
“It’s our life, our past,” Stanley said.
“And our future,” Wickersham said.
Being at the trial is a form of solidarity, a way to support people whose lives have been hurt, Wickersham said, looking toward Hill.
“From a guy who never took an aspirin in his life, it’s tough to take 14 pills a day,” Hill said.
But Stanley has another reason for coming to court.
“It’s important for the jury to see our faces after sitting here day after day,” she said.
The three people started toward the stairwell, ready to leave for lunch.
“I’ve got to use the troller here,” Hill said, stopping short in front of the elevator. Stanley and Wickersham joined him.
Bernick rose from his chair then and walked out of the room, passing the elevator just before the doors closed.