Minn. Supreme Court: BNSF Not Entitled To Retrial

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — The Minnesota Supreme Court says the BNSF Railway Co. is not entitled to a new trial in a lawsuit over a 2003 car-train crash in Anoka that killed four young people.

BNSF was ordered to pay $21.6 million in damages and $4 million in sanctions during a 2008 trial. The MinnesotaCourt of Appeals ordered a retrial because of faulty jury instructions about determining the railroad's negligence. But the Supreme Court on Tuesday any error did not affect the fairness or integrity of the proceedings.

The victims' families contended the crossing gates and warning signals malfunctioned. But Fort Worth, Texas-based BNSF said the gates and signals were working and that the car went around them. The jury found BNSF 90 percent at fault and the driver 10 percent at fault.

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