Norfolk Southern settles East Palestine derailment lawsuit for $600M
The Norfolk Southern railroad will settle a lawsuit over the 2023 derailment of a train carrying toxic chemicals in East Palestine, Ohio, for $600 million, the company confirmed Tuesday morning.
The settlement, which must still be approved by the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio, will cover uses ranging from property restoration and business losses to medical costs. The company said the settlement does not cover an admission of wrongdoing.
“If approved by the court, the agreement will resolve all class action claims within a 20-mile radius from the derailment and, for those residents who choose to participate, personal injury claims within a 10-mile radius from the derailment,” Norfolk Southern said in a statement.
The announcement comes just under a month after Judge Benita Y. Pearson, an Obama appointee, said the class-action suit could proceed, rejecting the railroad’s argument that federal rail law protects the conduct at issue.
The Norfolk Southern train derailed on the morning of Feb. 3, 2023, spilling vinyl chloride, a toxic substance used in the manufacture of plastics, from several cars. While no one was injured or killed by the derailment, residents of the town have expressed concerns about lingering threats to the environment that may take years to emerge.
Earlier this year, National Transportation Safety Board Chair Jennifer Homendy testified at a U.S. Senate hearing that a controlled burn at the site that sent a plume of flame into the air was unnecessary.
“It was stabilized well, well before the vent and burn. Many hours before,” Homendy said in March.
The Environmental Protection Agency invoked a federal law that requires Norfolk Southern to cover all cleanup costs relating to the crash. The company has already spent more than $1.1 billion on the cleanup process, which the NTSB has blamed on the overheating of a faulty wheel bearing.
Date: |
Filter
-
ISS endorses most of activist Ancora's nominees for Norfolk Southern board
ISS recommended that shareholders support five of Ancora's seven nominees and seven Norfolk Southern nominees.CNBC - Business -
Norfolk Southern CEO Gets ISS's Backing in Proxy Fight
Norfolk Southern’s CEO has been endorsed by top proxy firm Institutional Shareholder Services as the railroad’s leadership works to fend off a proxy fight from investors led by Ancora Holdings.The Wall Street Journal - World -
Norfolk Southern CEO Gets ISS's Backing in Proxy Fight
Norfolk Southern’s CEO has been endorsed by top proxy firm Institutional Shareholder Services as the railroad’s leadership works to fend off a proxy fight from investors led by Ancora Holdings.The Wall Street Journal - Business -
Proxy-advisory firm ISS steps into Norfolk Southern’s board battle with activist Ancora
Institutional Shareholder Services has recommended shareholders vote for most of Norfolk Southern’s board nominees, while also recommending that they support five of activist Ancora’s nominees.MarketWatch - Business -
U.S. Natural Gas Futures Settle Lower
U.S. natural gas futures were unable to hold early gains fueled by reports of higher LNG feedgas flows, and the June contract settles down 1.9%.The Wall Street Journal - World -
Speaker Johnson calls on Biden to visit Columbia amid pro-Palestine protests
Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) is urging President Biden to visit Columbia University and observe the pro-Palestine protests roiling its Manhattan campus after Johnson and a group of GOP lawmakers stopped by the university grounds and denounced the ...The Hill - Politics - Joe Biden -
Boy, 14, dies after ‘horrific’ sword attack in north-east London
Man arrested after attack near Hainault tube station which left four others, including two police officers, injured. Hainault attack – live updatesAn attack by a man armed with a sword has left a 14-year-old boy dead and four others injured in ...The Guardian - World -
New York Children's Nonprofit Files Bankruptcy to Deal With Sex-Abuse Lawsuits
St. Christopher’s in Dobbs Ferry, N.Y., joins other institutions in addressing a wave of abuse lawsuits in chapter 11.The Wall Street Journal - World - New York -
Middle East Crisis: Netanyahu Again Vows to Invade Rafah ‘With or Without’ Cease-Fire Deal
“The idea that we will halt the war before achieving all of its goals is out of the question,” the Israeli premier told relatives of hostages on Tuesday.The New York Times - World -
Delaware judge refuses to fast-track certain claims in post-merger lawsuit against Trump Media
A Delaware judge has granted a request by attorneys for Donald Trump and Trump Media & Technology Group, parent company of his Truth Social platform, to slow down a merger-related lawsuit filed by two cofounders of the companyABC News - Tech - Donald Trump
More from The Hill
-
Democrat wins special election for Rep. Brian Higgins's seat in New York
New York state Sen. Timothy Kennedy, a Democrat, has won the Empire State’s special election to fill retired Democratic Rep. Brian Higgins’s seat in Congress, according to a projection from Decision Desk HQ. Kennedy defeated Republican Gary ...The Hill - Politics - New York -
Michelle Obama surprises high school students in DC on College Signing Day
Former First Lady Michelle Obama surprised high school students from Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia to celebrate College Signing Day and their decision to pursue higher education. “Look, on a day when so much is about looking ahead, I ...The Hill - Politics -
Tuesday marks deadline to qualify for student loan forgiveness program
Student loan borrowers have until the end of Tuesday to qualify for a program that could help them pay down their debts.The Hill - Politics -
Barnard president loses vote of no confidence as criticism mounts over protest response
The president of Barnard College lost a faculty-wide vote of no confidence on Tuesday, as criticism mounts over the school’s response to a pro-Palestine encampment that has sparked a national movement and beckoned the political spotlight. About 77 ...The Hill - Politics -
Attorneys general sue Biden administration over revisions to Title IX
A group of six GOP state attorneys general sued the Biden administration over changes to Title IX on Tuesday, the fourth such suit over proposed revisions to the anti-discrimination protections in two days. Tuesday’s suit, led by Kentucky and ...The Hill - Politics - Joe Biden