Speaking Out Against Corporate Welfare

Crown Cork & Seal purchased a Virginia company that had been engaged in the manufacturing of asbestos products. Asbestos has been found to cause a form of cancer called mesothelioma. The liability associated with this has been substantial.

The Washington Post ran two stories about this here and here, and the Virginian Pilot ran a story here.

The House of Delegates considered legislation that was drafted to limit Crown Cork & Seal's liability to money they had already paid. I always have concerns any time we limit anyone's liability or change the law, especially for injuries that have already been caused.

I also have concerns about passing legislation that limits liability for a specific company. From my point of view, this company made a bad business decision and was asking the legislature to bail them out of a bad business decision.

This sets a bad precedent. My comments are below.