FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CIV THURSDAY, JULY 20, 1995 (202) 616-2765 TDD (202) 514-1888 B.F. GOODRICH PAYS U.S. $552,500 TO RESOLVE LIABILITY FOR MANUFACTURING DEFECTIVE 15-MAN ASSAULT RAFTS FOR ARMY WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The B.F. Goodrich Company will pay the United Stated $552,500 to resolve allegations it knowingly manufactured defective 15-person assault rafts for the Army from 1986 through 1988, the Department of Justice announced today. Assistant Attorney General Frank Hunger of the Civil Division said there were no reports of injuries involving the rafts. He said the agreement settles B. F. Goodrich's civil liability under the False Claims Act, 31 U.S.C. 3729, and common law. The Army issued two recall alerts for the rafts. Some 556 rafts were manufactured by B.F. Goodrich's Engineered Rubber Products Division of Fenwick, West Virginia, in 1986 at a cost of approximately $4,900 for each raft under a $1.9 million Department of Defense contract. B.F. Goodrich sold its Engineered Rubber Products Division in 1988. An investigation by the Defense Criminal Investigative Service and FBI alleged that B.F. Goodrich was cutting corners in its manufacturing process. The investigation revealed that 179 rafts included at least one of three distinct defects: --The raft was manufactured with an adhesive that was weaker than that required under the contract. --The bow height was either too low or too high so that the raft was unable to function under all possible conditions. --The raft was too warped or twisted to function under all necessary conditions. Arthur Dale Blake, a former government quality inspector stationed at the Engineered Rubber Products facility, pleaded guilty July 22, 1993, to a criminal charge he illegally received a gratuity for performing his job, which included inspecting rafts. Blake was one of the government's quality assurance representatives at the Engineered Rubber Products facility during the time the rafts were manufactured. #### 95-401