Staff sue IBM

The first of about 250 worker-health lawsuits filed against IBM across the country reaches a critical juncture in a California court this month, when a judge rules on whether to let the case of four cancer-stricken former employees go to trial.

The four claim they were poisoned by chemicals while working at an IBM electronics factory in San Jose. Workers at IBM plants in Minnesota and New York have made similar claims.

An epidemiologist hired by the workers said in court documents he found an "alarming" incidence of cancer among 30,000 employees. But IBM insists there is no scientific evidence supporting the claims.