Norfolk Southern said it would pay $600 million as part of a settlement agreement to resolve a class-action lawsuit from the East Palestine train derailment in Ohio last year.
The payment would settle “all class action claims within a 20-mile radius from the derailment,” if the settlement is approved by the court overseeing the litigation, the company said Tuesday. The agreement also gives the option for additional compensation for those within a 10-mile radius from the derailment.
“Individuals and businesses will be able to use compensation from the settlement in any manner they see fit to address potential adverse impacts from the derailment,” including for health care costs and rebuilding properties, Norfolk Southern said in a statement.
Norfolk Southern has been in the spotlight since the devastating derailment sent dozens of cars off the track, causing a hazardous chemical spill — with some remaining containers of vinyl chloride burned off for fear they might explode — that affected nearby communities and a temporary evacuation. Various federal and state probes into the incident are still under investigation.
