Three residents of a Louisville, Kentucky neighborhood have filed a environmental class action lawsuit against Nuplex Resins following a chemical spill in early February that sent irritating fumes throughout nearby sewer pipes and into homes.
The toxic tort lawsuit was filed on March 26 in Jefferson Circuit Court by the Beechmont neighborhood residents, calling for the creation of a 1.6-mile class action zone around the resin plant, located in southern Louisville.
The spill occurred on February 1 and Louisville health officials say that it directly affected at least 50 nearby homes. The discharge was into residential wastewater pipes, which then allowed vapors to seep into the affected homes.
The proposed Kentucky chemical spill class action lawsuit covers an area that includes thousands of homes.
The primary chemical in the spill was xylene and city officials said that none of the chemicals were detected at levels that would result in long-term detrimental health effects. Nuplex officials have apologized for the accident and pledged to pay for damages directly related to the spill, according to a story in the Louisville Courier-Journal.
Residents who filed the complaint allege that the spill is just the most recent in a continuing string of problems with the plant, which manufactures resin used in industrial paint, dating back to 2000. The lawsuit claims that residents have lost property value due to the plant’s activities. It also seeks to prevent the plant from being able to introduce any more water contamination or other pollutants into the neighborhood.
The plaintiffs are seeking an unspecified amount of compensatory damages from lost property values and are also seeking punitive damages against Nuplex.