The judge finally decided who's in and who's out the plaintiff: most of the association and local institution has been admitted to the trial. Individivauls and victim's relatives also. Acknowledgement for the national social system INPS and the national insurance institution INAIL. The list is now ready and the debate can (soon but not yet) begin.

Judge Casalbore takes his time to answers to the claims for exclusion raised by the defendant's lawyers, deciding who is legittimate to join the plaintiff. He first states that the plaintiff in general has full legitimacy to take part into the trail. Its presence is constitutional. In the case of the associations and territorial institutions, the judge accepted those which involvement in the areas of the epidemic can be demostrated and which specifically dealed with the anti-asbestos related desease struggle actively.

INAIL (the national industrial insurance system) and INPS (the social security public institution) have also a full right to join the plaintiff, claiming their huge compensation request (2 billion euro the first, 246 billion the second).

Surprisingly, the individuals whom signed the agreement for a compensation at the time of the Italian Eternit bankruptcy in 1986 had been accepted in the trial. Even if a previous deal has been made, in fact, those individuals are able to join the plaintiff because the contract concerned a different indictment: homicide instead of intentional disaster.

The citizens from Casale Monferrato and Cavagnolo whom subscribed the plaintiff for a moral and psycological damage, are also welcomed in the trial. Also the unions (CGIL, CISL, UIL, ALCA) are allowed to represent their members into the trial.

The civil authorities can't avoid their involvment in the trail and they will call to face the compensation request claimed by the plaintiff. They're the provate companies that heritage the stock of the company Eternit of the 70s: Etex Group (Belgium), Eternit Schweiz, Hanova Holding A.g., Amindus Holding A.g., Ametex A.g. and Becon A.g. (Switzerland) they will also charge as civil liable parts for the disaster, facing a compensation request of around 500 million euro. On the other hand - it is not a surprise - the Italian Cabinet and the European Union are excluded from the trial.

IN
National social security and insurance system: INPS, INAIL
Associations: LEGAMBIENTE, WWF, MEDICINA DEMOCRATICA, AIEA, ASSOCIAZIONE FAMIGLIARE DELLE VITTIME DI CASALE MONFERRATO,
Unions: CGIL, CISL, UIL, ALCA

INDIVIDUALS VICTIMS or VICTIMS RELATIVES
INDIVIDUALS SUFFERING A PYCHOLOGICAL AND MORAL DAMAGE

LOCAL AUTHORITIES FROM THE AREAS INVOLVED BY THE ENVIRONMENTAL DISASTER

OUT
Associations: CODACONS (consumers), VAS (green), ASSOCIAZIONE BOLOGNESE ESPOSTI AMIANTO, ASSOCIAZIONE ESPOSTI AMIANTO FRIULI VENEZIA GIULIA, AVANI (ex AVAP, National Italian Association of the Victims of Asbestos), Comitato di difesa della salute sui luoghi di lavoro e territorio, ONA (National Observer on Asbestos), Associazione nazionale protezione animali, natura e ambiente, ANMIL, Associazione Monferrato oltre il mesotelioma

A list of plaintiff and civil authorities will publish ASAP on the website. Finally, the defendant's lawyers addresses their speeches against the ARRAIGNMENT ACT, asking to nullify it beacuse of its imprecison in terms of liability and date of the accounted charge. Next public hearing on March 8th, dealing with the issue of the jurisdiction. This will be the last preliminary session, then the public debate could start (hopefully on March 15th).

(By Asbestos Victims Families Casale, Asbestos in the dock, 01/03/2010)