Trial Date Set for 18-Year-Old St. Croix Alumina Suit

In October 2007, former employees of a St. Croix bauxite mining company claimed they’d been exposed to dangerous dust and may develop cancer or respiratory ailments. Earlier this month, a Superior Court judge set an Oct. 27 trial date for their suit — 18 years after it was first filed.

More than 37 former employees of the company once known as Martin Marietta Alumina or its offshoots have filed suit over the years. At least 19 of these men and women are now dead, with a child or spouse carrying on the suits in their name.

Plaintiffs have argued the plant lacked proper safety and oversight measures to ensure workers were not exposed to harmful substances.

In July 2024, attorneys Lockheed Martin, which merged with Martin Marietta, argued 17 years was not enough time to resolve legal questions about the case, and a trial was premature. Lockheed’s local attorney directed the Source to a 6,673-page document detailing the legacy of Milton A. Burt’s case as well as reams of ancillary Lockheed Martin business.

Burt was a maintenance worker at the alumina refinery from 1967 to 1985 and again from 1988 to 1995. In July 2019, he was diagnosed with pneumoconiosis, an occupational lung disease Johns Hopkins Medicine has said was usually caused by breathing in certain kinds of dust particles that damage lungs. It takes years to develop.