Legal Team to Host Virtual Town Hall on Derailment Settlement

EAST PALESTINE, Ohio – Residents participating in the class-action lawsuit against Norfolk Southern are invited to attend a virtual town hall with the legal team Aug. 1.

The town hall, which will take place via Zoom, is intended to inform and equip all eligible residents to file their claims before the Aug. 22 deadline. The session will allow residents to ask questions, gain clarifications and learn more about the claims process.

Additionally, the legal team has announced recent developments have increased compensation estimates for local individuals and families.

The $600 million settlement with Norfolk Southern is intended to help anyone living within 20 miles of the site of the Feb. 3, 2023, train derailment that led to spilled and burning chemicals in East Palestine, which borders western Pennsylvania. Settlement compensation reportedly is going to take into consideration distance from the crash site.

Those who will be speaking at the virtual town hall will be Elizabeth Graham, a principal with Grant & Eisenhofer and co-lead counsel; Adam Gomez, a partner with Grant & Eisenhofer; Seth Katz, a shareholder with Burg Simpson and co-lead counsel; and Michelle Kranz, an Ohio-based attorney and partner with Zoll & Kranz, and president of the Ohio State Bar Association.

Register HERE to join the virtual town hall.

On Friday, the village announced that it has acknowledged the final National Transportation Safety Board report, which was released in mid-July and lists the cause of the derailment as a defective wheel bearing. It also claims the decision to vent and burn the hazmat tank cars containing vinyl chloride was unnecessary.

Additionally, the village announced it would like to encourage the adoption of safety measures suggested by the NTSB and thanked first responders “who acted swiftly and in good faith to protect our community during the incident,” a news release states. The village reiterated its support of enhanced training for emergency responders and better communication plans.

The village also announced it is committed to the health and safety of residents, adding it will continue to work with health and environmental experts and agencies to address the need for monitoring, treatment and remediation efforts following the derailment.

Published by The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.