But Utah is the only state to have negotiated a settlement with Second Chance Body Armor Inc. before the bankruptcy filing.

Utah sued Second Chance for violating its warranty on the $800 to $1,000 vests made of Zylon - a high-tech synthetic fiber that rapidly deteriorated under heat and humidity. Second Chance agreed in September to replace more than 950 bulletproof vests and refund $210,000 to law enforcement agencies in Utah for additional replacement costs.

Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff said he expects the company to comply with the agreement. The first of four quarterly payments from Second Chance is due in about two weeks, Shurtleff said.

"We were aware they had serious financial problems and suspected that something like this would happen," Shurtleff said. The Chapter 11 bankruptcy will allow the company to reorganize and stay in business. But Second Chance will not be able to sell in Utah again if it violates the agreement, he said.

"If they want to stay in business, they've got to keep selling to people like us," Shurtleff said.

The lawsuits began in September 2003 when vests worn by officers in two different states failed. One officer died and the other was seriously wounded by bullets that pierced their vests.

Second Chance announced soon after that it had concerns about vests made with Zylon. Zylon's producer, Toyobo Co. of Japan, has acknowledged that tests show Zylon loses as much of 20 percent of its strength after as little as two years from manufacture.

Second Chance is the nation's largest manufacturer of soft, concealable body armor for law enforcement. Faced with lawsuits, the company on Sunday filed in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Grand Rapids, Mich., hoping to put the lawsuits on hold and avoid expensive litigation.

''For almost a year, management has been involved in these draining Zylon-related legal actions,'' said Second Chance chief executive Paul Banducci said in a prepared statement Sunday. ''The filing will allow Second Chance management to focus on the management of the business so as to continue to serve its law enforcement and military customers.''

mwestley@sltrib.com

---

The Associated Press contributed to this report