State Supreme Court Upholds Monsanto Settlement

The state Supreme Court has upheld a judge’s approval of Monsanto Co.’s massive settlement with thousands of West Virginia residents.
 
     In a 4-1 decision Friday, the court affirmed a January ruling approving the class-action settlement of a lawsuit alleging that the Nitro community was contaminated with dioxin from the former Monsanto chemical plant. The plaintiffs said Monsanto polluted their community by burning waste from production of the defoliant Agent Orange.
 
     Under the $93 million settlement, thousands of Nitro-area residents will be eligible for medical monitoring and property cleanups.
 
     The Charleston Gazette reports that the court’s majority said it found “no substantial question of law and no prejudicial error” in various appeals of the settlement order.
 
     Chief Justice Brent Benjamin dissented.