Charlene Edwards, a plaintiff in the federal lawsuit, leads about 100 retirees from Y-12 gathered along Scarboro Road to the old guard tower near the entrance to the plant to protest changes in their benefits Thursday, Dec. 4, 2014. (MICHAEL PATRICK/NEWS SENTINEL)A federal judge has refused to dismiss a lawsuit filed last year on behalf of Y-12 retirees, who claimed that Consolidated Nuclear Security - the government's managing contractor at the nuclear weapons plant - misled employees and failed to live up to promises made by CNS and previous contractors about enduring health care benefits for retirees.
The lawsuit was filed last summer in U.S. District Court in Knoxville on behalf of retirees Betty Hatmaker and Charlene Edwards. CNS later filed a motion to have the lawsuit dismissed.
U.S. District Judge Thomas A. Varlan last week issued a memorandum opinion and order that granted parts of the defendant's motion to dismiss but refused to dismiss the lawsuit entirely.
Read the full story from our news partner, knoxnews.com, here