LIBBY — A Libby asbestos clinic was closed Wednesday after a long court battle.
The Center for Asbestos Related Disease (CARD) Clinic was shuttered by the Lincoln County Sheriff's Office on Wednesday.
The clinic offered screening and services to the thousands exposed to toxins from mining operations in Libby.
Courts found that BNSF Railway Company was on the hook for some of the pollution.
However, the company filed a lawsuit on behalf of the U.S. government in 2023, saying the clinic committed fraud.
A jury agreed, finding that some of the patients the clinic signed up for government benefits were not really sick.
The closure comes after a Montana District Court ruled that the clinic owes the railway three-point-one million dollars.
The CARD Clinic called stated on social media that the closure was "unexpected" and "temporary," saying, "we'll be back and better than ever!"
