Criminal charge remains in 'Big Dig' case

BOSTON, Dec. 19 (UPI) -- A judge in Massachusetts has refused to drop a criminal charge against the company blamed for a fatal ceiling collapse in the Big Dig in Boston.

Lawyers for Powers Fasteners Inc. of Brewster, N.Y., argued that state Attorney General Martha Coakley should be barred from a criminal prosecution after filing a civil suit against the company. Judge Patrick Brady disagreed, finding that the attorney general is "authorized to conduct the civil and criminal cases at the same time," The Boston Globe reported.

A section of ceiling in a tunnel came down in July 2006, killing a Boston woman. Powers, which supplied the epoxy for the bolts holding the ceiling in place, faces a manslaughter charge.

Max Stern, one of Powers' lawyers, said he expects the company to be "completely vindicated" once all the facts come out at trial. The company allegedly failed to warn contractors that a fast-drying epoxy was inappropriate for ceiling bolts.