Eight U.S. Navy sailors have sued one of the Japanese energy companies whose nuclear reactor melted down after the 2011 earthquake in Japan, according to a Bloomberg report.
The sailors, who were aboard the USS Ronald Reagan when the aircraft carrier took part in the humanitarian missions, claimed that Tokyo Electric Power Co. officials exposed them to radiation near the Fukushima Dai-Ichi plant by not disclosing the full extent of the damage to the plant.
The plaintiff's lawyer wrote in the complaint the sailors "must now endure a lifetime of radiation poisoning and suffering.” The eight sailors are each suing for $10 million in damages, $30 million in punitive damages, and a $100 million fund to pay for future medical charges.
In the complaint, the sailors claimed that the power utility officials gave a false sense of safety in areas that were still exposed to radiation. The sailors then operated in these areas, exposing them to radiation, and creating possible medical problems in their future.
Power utility officials told Bloomberg they have received the suit and will research it before providing a response.
