European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - August 23, 1985, Darmstadt, Hesse                                August 1985 the stars and stripes Page 7 Dalton shield firm files for bankruptcy Robins cites continuing burden1 of fighting lawsuits a the Robins plagued by thousands of claims Over its Dalton shield intrauterine has filed for Protection under Federal bankruptcy Claiborne chairman of the pharmaceutical said wednesday the move was prompted in part by the continuing Burden of litigation related to the which was taken off the Market in our businesses remain today filing does not mean the company is going out of business or that its assets will be he Robins said other factors in the decision include our desire to ensure that All persons to whom the company has an obligation Are treated to preserve the assets of the company and to maintain its current Robins said the filing applies Only to the Parent company and does not include any of its foreign or Domestic he said he foresees no layoffs of the Compa nys the chapter 11 made in bankruptcy court in Means that All pending and future Dalton shield lawsuits in forums outside the bankruptcy court will be the company Robins will continue business operations under the courts some women involved in lawsuits against Robins will try to have the bankruptcy said Aaron be the attorney for about 100 women who claim to have been injured by the we claim that Robins has embarked on a Pouch of fraud and suppression in order to deny the women a Chance in the said Robins is not and the women Are not Ordinary As of june Robins and its insurer have paid Dalton shield awards and settlements of million in disposing of about the company Legal fees and other expenses have amounted to an additional about cases and claims Are pending and the com Pany said it anticipates a substantial number of new cases and Louis a senior vice president in the Richmond office of wheat first securities said he was sur prised but not shocked by the in sure the company will survive in one form or an said who monitors Robins the Only thing that precipitated the filing is the otherwise the company has been quite Robins manufactured the Dalton shield from 1972 through in the company estimated that it would have to pay million by the year 2002 in Legal expenses and compensation for women injured by the the lawsuits contend women who used the device suffered Pelvic spontaneous abortions and bacteria reportedly travelled into the uterus of users by Way of a hollow string that remained attached to the device after its by 17 deaths had been linked to the Dalton whose sales had totalled million in the United another million were sold in 80 foreign coun the food and drug although it eventually ordered Robins to Stop Selling the never required its on july a Federal judge in Richmond rejected Rob ins motion to merge the remaining lawsuits and determine punitive damages in a single a similar proposal was rejected by the 9th circuit court of appeals in Twa Jet vandalized by hijackers in Beirut a some instruments on the Twa jetliner hijacked to Lebanon were left the autopilot was broken and the Interior was ravaged by knives and says the Pilot assigned to retrieve Pilot Richard Vaux also said he and his Crew were not greeted warmly when they arrived at the Beirut there were people waving guns in our when we got to the terminal build they seemed to come from hooting and said who flew Boeing 727 from Beirut to Cyprus and then Rome on Friday with a woman Ive never seen a plane look so it was a Shock to see he the stench was the whole inside was Cut the cushions were i guess people had been sick in the the seats had All been slashed with the backs were there was Graf Fiti All Over the Cabin some in some in when we entered the cock there were Bullet shells on the they took everything oxygen life life they Cut out All the internal wiring for the Public address sys they even took the emergency escape slide and a number of inside windows had been in interviews with the associated press and the daily evening item of said that because of the broken he to Fly the plane at the Low Altitude of feet so they  have to pressurize the some of the gauges we rent Reading and the autopilot was Vaux a photo a familiar backdrop Twa Captain John Testrake poses be Testrake at the airlines Kansas fore the Boeing 727 he piloted during the overhaul base Are his grandsons Pat crisis at Beirut in with left and Larry they had ripped out the Headset system that let us talk to each other on the i guess a lot of Coke and juice and Coffee had spilled on the control console Between the seats in the cockpit and got to the things didst tune too the Twa Jet was hijacked june 14 after taking off from Athens on a flight to women and children were let off in stops at Algiers and but three Crew members and 36 men were held hostage for 17 one Serviceman was killed by the i a 21year Twa said he was apprehensive but not scared Dur ing his one hour in the War torn we came Down the Steps of the air plane and immediately there were people in trucks and cars i didst know if there were going to be another set of hos he they were sort of chant they were running and waving guns i was wondering what was going to happen Vaux said men with machine guns stood guard while he and his Crew checked the Jet for tested the controls and took immediately banking to the left Over the water to avoid flying Over he said that when he returned to Twa Headquarters in new he ran into John the Pilot of the ill fated flight i said i just brought your plane Back from Beirut and he said it was hed been through enough discussions about the experience with the press and everyone he was very inter ested in the condition of the Marine colonel thought Beirut Post too vulnerable Washington a even though marines in Lebanon were worried about terrorist they didst anticipate the suicide truck bombing in october 1983 that destroyed their Barracks and killed 241 according to newly released congressional and although military officials agreed to station marines at the Beirut air the commander of the Marine Force didst think the area could be protected from the testimony the 654page much of which had remained classified during eight Days of hearings in november and december was released publicly some secret portions were the testimony formed the basis of conclusions reached in december 1983 by the House armed services investigations which strongly criticized the military Chain of command for lapses in a separate Pentagon investigation also faulted Security and recommended disciplinary action for unnamed president Reagan rejected that Call because he said the men had suffered at on a suicidal terrorist drove a five ton truck loaded with six tons of explosives through the open front Gate of the Marine past two guard posts where marines carried unloaded weapons and through the front door of the the explosion collapsed the kill ing 241 servicemen and leading to Calls for withdrawal of the marines stationed in Lebanon As part of a multinational peacekeeping Force to support the shaky lebanese four months Reagan withdrew the the testimony released wednesday provided new details about the Security lapses and offered the first Public comments by Marine Timothy com Mander of the now commander of the Marine corps Barracks at the naval not responded publicly to criticism that his Security measures were Geraghty told the House subcommittee military officials looked at a wide Vari Ety of threats and received hundreds of warnings about possible no one predicted that a truck driven by a terrorist Bent on suicide would attack the he the marines worried about car bombs and truck Geraghty but we never got up to the Large buses or into Large and i guess in we Proba Bly should but it just want something that that in with the suicidal Side of that Type of it just want in and of the threat traffic that we were looking he in All the intelligence the marines re he we indication that we would have a threat of this both in delivery and in explosive Force of this Philip reagans special envoy to the Middle said he approved the air port location for the contingent with full consultation and understanding of the military Geraghty said locating the marines at the Airport caused considerable vulnerabilities because they were next to a Busy Road carrying thousands of Airport bound cars and the traffic volume and the flatness of the site made Security Geraghty it is a terrible situation to be he because of the routine opera Tion of an International you dont have and where you dont Nave con you dont have