OXFORD, Miss., May 12 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Koppers Inc. announced today that a federal court jury in Mississippi has absolved the company of any liability for punitive damages in connection with the death of a Grenada, Mississippi woman. The estate of Sherrie Barnes had claimed that emissions from a Koppers wood-treating plant neighboring her home caused her breast cancer.
Koppers, an integrated producer of carbon compounds and treated wood products, said that it is pleased with the jury's refusal to award punitive damages. The same jury recently awarded $845,000 in compensatory damages to the estate of Sherrie Barnes, with 20 percent of the total compensatory verdict ($169,000) allocated to Koppers. Koppers indicated that it still expects to file post-trial motions and, if necessary, will appeal any judgment entered against it on the compensatory verdict.
About Koppers
Koppers, with corporate headquarters and a research center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, is an integrated producer of carbon compounds and treated wood products. Including its joint ventures, Koppers operates facilities in the United States, United Kingdom, Denmark, Australia, China, the Pacific Rim and South Africa. The stock of Koppers Holdings Inc. (NYSE: KOP) is publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the Symbol "KOP". For more information, visit us on the Web: www.koppers.com. Questions concerning investor relations should be directed to Brian H. McCurrie at 412 227 2153 or Michael W. Snyder at 412 227 2131.
SOURCE Koppers Holdings Inc.
CONTACT: Brian H. McCurrie, Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, +1-412-227-2153, or McCurrieBH@koppers.com, or Michael W. Snyder, Director, Investor Relations, +1-412-227-2131, or SnyderMW@koppers.com, both of Koppers Inc.