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Double Indemnity For Operators Of Nuclear Facilities? In Re Hanford Nuclear Reservation Litigation, The Price-Anderson Act, And The Government Contractor Defense, Chris Addicott

Washington Law Review

Thousands of people who lived downwind of the Hanford Nuclear Reservation have brought suit against the contractors who operated the facility, claiming that radiation releases caused property damage, illness, and death. For the defendants, there is little at stake. Because they fall under the Price-Anderson Act, the U.S. Government will indemnify them for their legal expenses and any judgments against them. Nevertheless, the defendants have invoked the "government contractor defense," claiming that they should be immune from suit because anything they may have done wrong was done at the direction of the government. This Comment argues that the government contractor …