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Protective Vests Hit In Lawsuit

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The Associated Press

Published: June 6, 2008

WASHINGTON - The government is suing diversified manufacturer Honeywell International for selling material used in bulletproof vests that it alleges the company knew was defective.

According to the Justice Department lawsuit filed Thursday, Honeywell had scientific data that showed the ballistic material, known as Zylon Shield, "degraded quickly over time, especially in hot and humid conditions," leaving the vests unfit for use by law enforcement agencies and military personnel.

The department also alleges that Honeywell failed to notify the government or the vest manufacturer, Armor Holdings, of the defect.

A Honeywell spokesman said the company did not make the vests sold to the government and denied claims that it was the manufacturer of the Zylon fiber that led to the initial Justice Department probe.

But according to the government's complaint, the United States paid $1.3 million for more than 1,700 vests sold by Armor Holdings that contained Honeywell's Zylon Shield between 2000 and 2005. The government also paid roughly $20 million more for 11,000 bulletproof vests made with the Zylon Shield.

The fabric used in Honeywell's Zylon Shield was supplied by Japan's Toyobo Co. Ltd. and its U.S. subsidiary Toyobo America Inc.
Honeywell patented its Zylon Shield and later sold it to Armor Holdings and its subsidiaries, according to the complaint.

The Justice Department also alleges that Honeywell "discouraged" Armor Holdings from taking steps to notify buyers about problems with the fiber.

The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District of Court for the District of Columbia under the False Claims Act, is part of an ongoing investigation of several vendors who played a role in making the defective bulletproof vests.

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