Defense Contractor Ordered to Pay National Guard Soldiers $85 Million

KBR sued after allegedly exposing soldiers to a carcinogen

PORTLAND, Ore., Nov. 3 (UPI) -- A federal magistrate in Oregon has ordered defense contractor KBR to pay $85 million to National Guard soldiers exposed to a carcinogen while serving in Iraq.

KBR says it will appeal the verdict, which the soldiers' attorney said may have been the first of its kind against a contractor by a soldier, The (Portland) Oregonian reported.

Each of the 12 soldiers who filed the suit was awarded $850,000 in non-economic damages and $6.25 million in punitive damages in Friday's decision.