Two Injury Lawsuits Filed Against Home Depot

A wrongful death lawsuit and a personal injury claim have been filed against a pair of Home Depot units.

The $35 million wrongful death suit faults Depot for not taking security measures prior to the murder of Renee Ramos. 18. who was found dead inside the Manteca. Ca.. store while it was under construction.

The suit alleges the construction site was devoid of fences, barricades or guards, enabling trespassers to enter the building after dark. The store opened last September, several months after Ramos' body was discovered under a pile of insulation, four days after she vanished.

Also named in the suit were three men arrested in Ramos' murder, Ty Eric Lopes, Jacob Lee Silva and Raymond Earl Goans II. Charges against Goans were dismissed; however, the other two men face criminal prosecution. If convicted, both could receive the death penalty.

In the second case, Douglas P. McAdams is seeking over $20,000 in damages, alleging he was injured 4pr1129,2000 when falling lumber hit him as he was shopping at the Twin Falls. Id.. store.

A lawyer for McAdams said his client was ignored by Depot when he requested the matter be settled out of court.

The suit is the second against the store. A wrongful death suit was filed last year after a 3-year-old girl was killed when a countertop fell from a forklift, striking her (see July 2000, p. 38). The case was said to have been settled.

G-P Closes Wallboard Plants

Georgia-Pacific is closing several plants and cutting back operations at other facilities to reduce its gypsum wallboard production capacity in the U.S. and Canada by 45%o.

"Current market conditions for wallboard are forcing us to take action now to close these facilities and reduce our overall production," said A.D. "Pete" Correll, chairman and c.e.o. "These steps are critical for the long-term viability of our wallboard business. Current capacity and pricing levels in the wallboard business are unsustainable and operating our plants at full production is unprofitable for Georgia-Pacific."

G-P is shuttering wallboard plants in Savannah, Ga.; Long Beach, Ca., and Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada; indefinitely idling commodity wallboard production lines at Acme, Tx.; Sigurd, Ut., and Blue Rapids, Ks., and reducing operations at its remaining 13 wallboard production facilities to a maximum five-day work schedule.

In addition, its recycled paperboard plant at Delair, N.J., has been put up for sale.

Radicals Admit To Arson

The Earth Liberation Front has claimed responsibility for setting two separate May 2l fires that ravaged Jefferson Poplar Farms, Clatskanie, Or., and the University of Washington Center for Urban Horticulture. Seattle. Wa. (see June, p. 35).

The latter blaze caused roughly $3 million in structural damage, while the Oregon fire caused at least $500,000 in damage. No one was injured in either fire.

Hours before ELF's announcement, three logging trucks were set afire in Eagle Creek, Or., although no one claimed responsibility for the incident.

The FBI is said to consider ELF one of the most dangerous terrorist groups in the nation.