Military Contractor Ruled Liable for Soldiers' Illnesses

Ordered to pay $85 million

PORTLAND, Ore. –  A jury has ordered an American military contractor to pay $85 million after finding it guilty of negligence for illnesses suffered by a dozen Oregon soldiers who guarded an oilfield water plant during the Iraq war.

The jury deliberated for just two days before reaching a decision Friday against Kellogg Brown and Root.

The company was ordered to pay $6.25 million to each of the soldiers in punitive damages and $850,000 in noneconomic damages.