This is KBR’s desperate attempt to keep this case out of a US court room. They are pulling out all the stops. It’s because of Ryan’s mother, Cheryl Harris’ unwavering commitment to see her sons death does not go unpunished and that no other soldier or civilian dies in this manner. Because of Cheryl’s tenacious pursuit of contractor accountability, the Army has completely revamped their electrical program. Electricians are supposed to be licensed, installations are supposed to be in accordance to the National Electrical Code (NEC) or the British Standards (BS) and the work of contractors is supposed to be inspected. There are still inherent flaws in the Army’s program most of which involves oversight, but thanks to Cheryl the living and working conditions for our soldiers and civilians are safer. Too bad her son had to die such a horrible death for the Army to make these changes! There is no doubt KBR totally disregarded Cheryl Harris and her “nuisance” law suit in the beginning. I don’t think they are disregarding her now! ~ Ms Sparky
Contractor claims Iraqi law should apply in suit over Shaler soldier’s death
Brian Bowling – PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW – April 5, 2011 – U.S. soldiers living on military bases in Iraq had no expectation that they were protected by Pennsylvania law instead of Iraqi law, a lawyer for a Houston-based defense contractor argued today in Pittsburgh federal court.
KBR Inc. wants U.S. District Judge Nora Barry Fischer to use Iraqi law in the wrongful death lawsuit filed by the parents of Sgt. Ryan Maseth, 24, of Shaler against the company. Maseth was electrocuted Jan. 2, 2008, while showering at a military base in Baghdad.
Cheryl Harris and Douglas Maseth claim shoddy electrical work by the contractor caused their son’s death. KBR has denied responsibility and argues that Iraq has more interest in having its law applied to this case than Texas, Pennsylvania or Tennessee.
Harris said after today’s hearing that KBR’s arguments just feed the frustration she feels from having the case stuck in pretrial maneuvers for the past three years. Members of the military deserve to have U.S. standards applied to the bases they serve on, she said.
“It’s quite sad that KBR would think otherwise,” Harris said. “That they would be paid billions of dollars and not be expected to protect U.S. soldiers.”
Dan Russell, a lawyer for KBR, declined comment after the hearing.
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As many of you are aware, KBR has a page on their website called KBR Fact Sheets. Until a couple of months ago, the Fact Sheet page listed several of KBR’s high profile cases with links to pages attempting to discredit the victims and tell KBR’s side of the story.
