Plaintiffs

It's been nearly 10 years since Lockheed Martin Corp. pulled up its remaining stakes in the city and left Burbank residents to sort through a complicated and conflicting legacy. Few would argue with the tremendous accomplishments of Lockheed and the other aerospace companies that once made this city their home. Their engineering and manufacturing prowess earned Burbank a spot in the nation's collective consciousness long before Johnny Carson began making jokes about "beautiful downtown Burbank."

Paul Clinton BURBANK -- Lynnell Madrid is livid. Two days after a judge tossed out lawsuits brought by 140 Burbank-area residents who believe their health problems were caused by Lockheed Martin Corp., Madrid vowed to fight on. "It was just earth-shattering," Madrid said. "For four years we have been hoping for Lockheed to be held accountable for what they did to us." On Tuesday, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Carl West said attorneys for the 140 residents -- picked from a pool of nearly 3,000 because of the seriousness of their ailments -- didn't prove the aerospace firm was directly responsible for their health problems.