The Least Surprising Class-Action Lawsuit

I’m sure it feels like yesterday, especially for the residents of East Palestine, Ohio, but the Norfolk Southern train derailment happened over a year ago.  A Norfolk Southern train derailed in February 2023, causing the contents of 11 cars filled with hazardous materials to catch fire.  2,000 residents of the small town in Ohio were evacuated in the aftermath of the derailment.  The story made national news and was a huge talking point, especially in the logistics industry, for the subsequent weeks. 

Naturally, it led to what is probably least surprising class-action lawsuit that has ever been filed.  In a statement on behalf of the plaintiffs, the attorneys said:  “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.” 

In addition to the pay-out once the lawsuit is settled, Norfolk Southern has already given $104 million to East Palestine. This led to the construction of a safety training center, and significant portions being paid out to citizens.  The results of the research on the incident by the National Transportation Safety Board will be published this summer.  Even taking into account the severity of the incident, the Environmental Protection Agency did not declare a state of emergency. See why I called it the least surprising class-action lawsuit?

See More

Works Cited: Norfolk Southern to pay $600M in Ohio train derailment lawsuit – FreightWaves