Judge Disallows Ex-SOS Workers’ Suit

A Los Angeles Superior Court judge ruled Friday that several former workers at Space Ordnance Systems had no valid claims for damages for rashes and other ailments they said their jobs had caused.

Judge Dzintra Janavs held that the workers’ compensation system is the proper arena for such claims and issued a summary judgment in favor of the company, a defense and aerospace contractor that makes explosive components of weapons and spacecraft at two plants in the Santa Clarita Valley.

The plaintiffs, four former employees and a temporary worker hired briefly through a personnel agency, had sought $750 million in punitive damages, claiming that they had incurred a variety of health problems from exposure to chemicals and waste in the workplace. The lawsuit was filed in 1985.

None of the five--Terry Micter, Carolyn Navarez, Yvonne Rodriguez, Carole Gross and Joseph Young--could be reached Friday for comment, nor could their attorney, Bradley A. Arnold of Studio City.

‘Good News’

A spokeswoman for SOS’ parent company, Burl Alison, vice president of TransTechnology Corp., called the ruling “the first good news we’ve had” in the company’s effort to improve its image after pollution problems several years ago brought a series of charges and lawsuits.

The SOS plants at Agua Dulce and Canyon Country were raided in 1984 by health and law-enforcement authorities. The company later pleaded no contest to 10 misdemeanor violations of hazardous waste laws and paid a $300,000 fine.

Alison said the lawsuit heard Friday stemmed from “some problems” with a dye that caused discomfort and rashes. She said the problem was solved when the company found safety clothing that kept the dye from getting on workers’ skin.

Still pending are several lawsuits filed by homeowners who claim that the SOS plants have contaminated their areas with toxic chemicals, she said.