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Thursday, February 19, 2009

Courts - "Roane residents file suit against TVA for ash spill "

Law suits are being filed as a result of the TVA coal ash spill (see ILB entries here) last December in Tennessee.

The Knoxville News has a story today that begins:

The cameras aren't rolling, but the court papers keep shuffling.

The law firm associated with environmental activist Erin Brockovich filed a federal lawsuit Wednesday against TVA on behalf of more than 100 Roane County residents who say they've been affected by the Dec. 22 coal ash spill at the Kingston power plant.

The lawsuit won't be a class-action case, said Robin Greenwald, the chief environmental lawyer for New York-based Weitz & Luxenberg.

"The people who signed up with us didn't want to go the class-action route," she said. "Each person is a stand-alone person who believes they've been injured. They believe they have injuries specific to them."

The lawsuit doesn't spell out the damages those 106 residents seek.

"We have asked the court to determine that amount at trial," said Roger May, a Nashville lawyer working with Weitz & Luxenberg on the case. "We have asked for a jury trial. There is a request for medical monitoring, since it's unknown at this time the effects the spill may have on everyone's health."

The story includes a link to the 39-page federal complaint filed Feb. 18th.

[More] See this lengthy report from the Center for Public Integrity, titled "Coal Ash: The Hidden Story: How Industry and the EPA Failed To Stop a Growing Environmental Disaster ."

Posted by Marcia Oddi on February 19, 2009 01:12 PM
Posted to Courts in general | Environment