Late Thursday night, a chemical plant in Apex, N.C., exploded leaving many in the area to fear what chemicals were in the air. Within hours, a lawsuit was filed by lawyers from Cohem, Milstein, Hausfeld, and Toll, a national class action group, and local attornies Brady, Nordgren, Morton & Malone. They were retained by families who were forced to evacuate from the area. In my opinion, a national class action lawsuit group is another word for fancy ambulance chasers.
Here is what the lawyers said in a press release:
“The legal complaint alleges that EQ Industrial Services, which was cited for state regulatory waste violations in March 2006, failed to properly contain the hazardous waste materials on its property. The lawsuit alleges that as a result of EQ’s actions, a massive chemical explosion occurred causing chlorine gas and other hazardous materials to enter the air and surrounding community.”
Mind you, the lawsuit was filed when the investigation was still underway (still is) and the fire was still burning. If my family was involved in the evacuation order, the last thing I would be worried about is filing a lawsuit.
So what are they seeking:
“The plaintiffs are seeking damages for their loss of use and enjoyment of property as well as punitive damages. Further, they are asking the Court to order EQ to pay for environmental and medical testing.”
Punitive damages is the keyword, here. I can see the envrionmental and medical testing. I have questions about asking for punitive damages. This really sounds like a case where someone is trying to make money off the difficulties of others.
I would like to know when as a society we became so lawsuit happy. Someone looks at you wrong, we sue. It clogs the legal system and prevents cases that need to be heard from giving a fair chance in the legal process.
In this situation, the company, EQ, should agree to paying for the envrionmental and legitimate medical expenses without having to be asked by a court. If they do, the lawsuit should be voided. The other damages in the suit are outside the realm of what occured in Apex, when you consider that it wasn’t as bad as it could have been.
