CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Jury selection is set to begin Friday in the civil lawsuit filed against West Virginia American Water Company following the 2014 chemical spill and water emergency that began in Charleston.
On Wednesday, lawyers for Eastman Chemical Company, the producer of the chemical MCHM and another defendant in the case, told a judge a settlement has been reached. Details were not released.
The MCHM chemical leaked into the Elk River from tanks belonging to Freedom Industries. It contaminated drinking water for nearly 300,000 residents in parts of nine West Virginia counties.
The lawsuits, in both state and federal courts, allege that Eastman failed to properly warn Freedom about safety concerns regarding their storage tanks.
U.S. District Judge John Copenhaver Jr. told company lawyers and lawyers for residents to try and reach an agreement. He said he’ll schedule a hearing about the agreement soon.