East Palestine Train Derailment Class Action: $600 Million Agreement

After over a year of intensive, hard-fought litigation, Norfolk Southern has agreed to pay $600 million to settle the class action claims asserted by East Palestine residents and businesses. The settlement must be approved by the Federal Court but provides substantial compensation to the residents, property owners, and business owners in East Palestine within a 20-mile radius of the derailment site. Residents within a ten-mile radius will have the opportunity to assert a claim for personal injury damages through the settlement process. If approved by the Court, it is anticipated that payments to class members will begin before the end of the year.

Plakas Mannos is proud to represent the residents and business owners of East Palestine. Our firm served on the Plaintiff’s Steering Committee and the Law and Briefing Committee in the class action case certified by the Honorable Benita Pearson in Federal Court. Plakas Mannos recognized the need to invest our leadership, financial resources, and time in this significant class litigation in order to combat the vigorous defense we knew Norfolk Southern would be throwing at this case. Plakas Mannos participated in the briefing that opposed Norfolk Southern’s efforts to dismiss the case. This settlement comes on the heels of Judge Pearson’s ruling on March 13^th, denying Norfolk Southern’s request to have the residents’ claims dismissed. That success, coupled with nearly a year of intense investigation, depositions and expert analysis, all of which occurred in a compressed timeframe, led to this significant resolution.

We thank Judge Pearson for her diligence and guidance, holding the parties to strict deadlines to reach a resolution or prepare the case for trial and our fellow class counsel and leadership committee, who all worked diligently and effectively to accomplish this result. We will stand with our clients every step of the way as we finalize the settlement and manage the claims process.

One of Plakas Mannos’ core beliefs is that truth still matters and David can still beat Goliath. This significant victory is one more example proving that with the right combination of skill and hard work exceptional results are achievable.

Should you have any questions about whether or not you qualify to submit a claim, or need assistance in submitting and processing your claim, please contact our East Palestine Litigation Team at (330) 455-6112.