East Palestine residents may have to wait up to two years before getting paid out by Norfolk Southern for a disastrous train derailment in 2023, according to lawyers on Monday, Sept. 30. Settlement checks were reportedly supposed to go out by the end of this year but now that appears it will not happen after an appeal by one of the plaintiff’s last week.
The appeal challenges whether a federal judge’s decision to approve a more than $600 million settlement gave enough money to East Palestinians.
Some residents reportedly expressed outrage over the weekend about the appeal by a local pastor because they said they needed those payments to move out of town.
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Other residents said that they had deeper concerns about the chemicals they were exposed to from the rail disaster after officials decided to blow up the boxcars filled with toxic chemicals. Those residents want the plaintiff’s lawyers to reveal what their expert found when he tested for any lingering contamination in East Palestine.
Now, an appeals court will have to determine whether or not the settlement offers enough money to residents and if enough information was given to East Palestinians before an agreement was reached.
The plaintiffs’ attorneys vowed on Monday to do everything in their “power” to “quickly resolve this appeal,” adding, “It is tragic that one person is substituting their judgement for the entire community who wants this settlement, and instead of opting out, they have gone this route.”
Lawyers say it is likely the payments will be delayed six months to a year. However, they say the wait may be even longer if the case reaches the U.S. Supreme Court or gets sent back to federal court.
The settlement offers payments of up to $70,000 per household and up to $25,000 per individual. The funds are meant to cover health issues and property damage to the community from the derailment disaster.