A Somerville woman's lawsuit alleging that an area tie-plant exposed her late husband to dangerous levels of chemicals, has been dropped.

Rebecca Ramirez asked for a voluntary dismissal of the case early Thursday.

The case was expected to go to trial in Burleson County on Monday.

Ramirez's suit had alleged that the Burlington Northern Sante Fe Railroad (BNSF) did not provide her husband with proper protection for the dangerous chemicals he worked with during his twenty years at the tie-plant.

BNSF released the following statement regarding the dismissal:

"BNSF is sympathetic to the Ramirez family and the other Somerville residents whose community has been disrupted by attorney-driven junk science. We remain confident that there is no reliable scientific evidence to support similar claims, and there is no reliable proof of exposure to dangerous levels of any chemicals from the Somerville Tie Plant."

Statement from Ramirez's attorney, Jared Woodfill:

"My client could not proceed with this case in trial next week for personal reasons. The decision had nothing to do with the merits of this case and is not a reflection of the merits of any of other lawsuits involving residents of Somerville and workers at the Burlington Northern tie treatment plant. We are continuing to vigorously represent those who have suffered because of generations of negligence at the Somerville plant. As a result of this company's actions, Somerville residents are living with toxic contamination that has been well-documented by third-party scientific experts. Our next case is set for trial in January in Burleson County."