Court Upholds Dismissal of Lockheed Martin Claims

NEW ORLEANS (CN) – The **5th Circuit has upheld the dismissal of claims against Lockheed Martin Corp. brought by 27 plaintiffs who sued the company for damages after a “deranged employee” went on a shooting rampage at in 2003 at Lockheed’s Meridian plant.     On July 8, 2003, Doug Williams left a meeting, returned with a shotgun and rifle, and gunned down 15 co-workers, killing nine, before committing suicide. The Associated Press reports that it was Mississippi’s deadliest act of workplace violence.     The appeals court ruled that the claims of the survivors and victims’ relatives were “exclusively compensable” through Mississippi’s workers’ compensation law. See ruling.