(CN) - A judge in the W.R. Grace asbestos trial in Montana improperly barred 34 alleged exposure victims from the courtroom except to testify, a three-judge panel of the 9th Circuit ruled.
The judges rejected a finding by U.S. District Judge Donald Molloy, who said the 34 witnesses do not meet the meaning of "crime victim" in the Crime Victims' Rights Act. He only allowed them in court to testify.
The 9th Circuit vacated Molloy's ruling and ordered him to make "particularized findings with respect to each of the 34 victim-witnesses."
The trial resumes Monday.
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