Pasadena Firm Says It's Not Liable For Minnesota Bridge Collapse
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — The Minnesota Supreme Court is considering whether to block a firm from being sued by the state of Minnesota over the deadly Interstate 35W bridge collapse.
Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. of Pasadena, Calif., contends it's not liable in the 2007 disaster because too much time had passed since the bridge was built in the 1960s.
Jacobs argues a state law put a 10-year limit on liability. But a Minnesota appeals court allowed the state's claims to go forward.
An attorney for Jacobs, James O'Connor, argued Monday the company "never touched the bridge." The state had a 1962 contract with Jacobs' predecessor company.
Minnesota Solicitor General Alan Gilbert called the collapse that killed 13 people and injured 145 "a horrific event" and urged the high court to let the suit proceed.
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