Tag: Class-Action Settlement

Judge Denies Water Crisis Legal Settlement, Asks for Changes

A federal judge in West Virginia has declined to grant preliminary approval of a $151 million settlement of class-action litigation stemming from the January 2014 water crisis, saying he wanted changes made to the deal.

Local news outlets report that Judge John T. Copenhaver Jr. issued a 93-page order Thursday, two months after court filings made public terms of the deal with West Virginia American Water Co. and Eastman Chemical.

The proposal would have distributed the money among residents, businesses and other entities like non-profit organizations whose drinking water was contaminated by the chemical spill at Freedom Industries, which affected more than 300,000 people in the Kanawha Valley.

Copenhaver raised concerns about how the terms awarded money, timeliness of the settlements and legal fees.

Both sides can refile an agreement.

U.S. Justices Will Not Hear Appeal of Monsanto Settlement

The U.S. Supreme Court will not hear an appeal of Monsanto Co.’s massive settlement with thousands of West Virginia residents.

In an order Monday, justices said they would not review the $93 million settlement reached in the lawsuit. The Charleston Gazette said that means thousands of Nitro-area residents are closer to receiving medical monitoring and having their property cleaned up.

 
In November, the West Virginia Supreme Court affirmed a January 2013 ruling approving the class-action settlement. The lawsuit alleged 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 settlement, thousands of Nitro-area residents will be eligible for the medical monitoring and property cleanups.

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