Photo: DUSTIN FRANZ / AFP / Getty Images
Norfolk Southern has reached an agreement to settle a class action lawsuit with the residents of East Palestine, Ohio, following last year's train derailment.
The $600 million settlement will provide money for residents impacted by the derailment, which spilled millions of gallons of toxic chemicals into the environment. The agreement settles all class-action claims within a 20-mile radius of the crash and all personal injury claims within 10 miles of the derailment.
It also includes money for a program to compensate people for past, present, and future injuries due to exposure to the toxic chemicals released in the spill.
"This resolution comes shortly after the one-year anniversary of the disaster and will provide substantial compensation to all affected residents, property owners, employees, and businesses residing, owning or otherwise having a legal interest in property, working, owning or operating a business for damages resulting from the derailment and release of chemicals," said attorneys Seth Katz, Elizabeth Graham, Jayne Conroy, and T. Michael Morgan, who are representing the plaintiffs.
Norfolk Southern has already spent over $100 million to provide assistance following the February 3, 2023 derailment, including $21 million in direct payments to residents and $50 million in investments to the area impacted by the chemical spill.