DoomsdaysCW<p><a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/NorfolkSouthern" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>NorfolkSouthern</span></a> reaches $600 million settlement to settle <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/EastPalestine" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>EastPalestine</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/derailment" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>derailment</span></a> suit</p><p>By David Goldman, CNN<br />April 9, 2024</p><p>New York CNN — "Norfolk Southern has reached a $600 million settlement that, if approved by a court, will resolve all lawsuits covering thousands of residents within 20 miles of the 2023 <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/EastPalestineOhio" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>EastPalestineOhio</span></a>, derailment that spilled more than a million pounds of <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/hazardous" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>hazardous</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/chemicals" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>chemicals</span></a> into the soil, water and air.</p><p>"The rail company said the settlement is intended to offset costs related to the spill that sent a plume of <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/ToxicSmoke" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#<span>ToxicSmoke</span></a> into the air and displaced many residents and businesses. But Norfolk Southern didn’t admit to any liability or wrongdoing as a result of the settlement.</p><p>"'Individuals and businesses will be able to use compensation from the settlement in any manner they see fit to address potential adverse impacts from the derailment,' the company said in a statement. 'This could include healthcare needs and medical monitoring, property restoration and diminution, and compensation for any net business loss.'</p><p>"The settlement of the class-action lawsuit, which subsumed 31 separate cases, also allows residents within 10 miles of the derailment to receive additional compensation.</p><p>"In a court filing Tuesday, the plaintiffs said they expected to file a motion for the judge to approve the settlement within 10 days. Attorneys representing the claimants said they hope to make the claims process easy and efficient and to begin sending out payments by the end of 2024.</p><p>"'We believe this is a fair, reasonable and adequate result for the community on a number of levels, not the least of which is the speed of the resolution, and the overall amount of the awards residents can expect, which will be significant for those most impacted by the derailment,' said Seth Katz of Burg Simpson Eldredge Hersh & Jardine, M. Elizabeth Graham of Grant & Eisenhofer, Jayne Conroy of Simmons Hanly Conroy and T. Michael Morgan of Morgan & Morgan, in a combined statement. </p><p>"Following the February 3, 2023, Norfolk Southern freight train derailment, residents were ordered to evacuate temporarily. State and federal environmental officials say testing shows the air and water in the town is now safe, but some residents still complain of health problems, including burning sensations in their eyes, tingling in their lips, heaviness in their chest and swelling of lymph nodes in their necks and groins."</p><p>Read more:<br /><a href="https://www.cnn.com/2024/04/09/investing/norfolk-southern-settlement/index.html" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no"><span class="invisible">https://www.</span><span class="ellipsis">cnn.com/2024/04/09/investing/n</span><span class="invisible">orfolk-southern-settlement/index.html</span></a></p>