In East Palestine Derailment Trial, Railroad and Chemical Maker Agree on Who Pays Residents

Source: US News and World Report/AP

April 17, 2025, at 5:04 p.m.


Norfolk Southern reached an agreement with one of two companies about how much each side will help pay for a $600 million class-action settlement, which the railroad agreed to after the disastrous Ohio,">2023 Ohio train derailment and toxic chemicals that were released and burned.

This lawsuit doesn’t change anything about how much money people will receive from the settlement or any payments to the village of East Palestine or anyone else — those are all established in various settlement agreements. This case only affects which companies have to write the checks to pay for the class-action settlement, which is separate from the cost of the massive environmental cleanup.

The railroad and OxyVinyls, the chemical company that made the vinyl chloride that was released and burned after the derailment, announced the settlement Thursday in the midst of the ongoing trial over who should pay people affected by the derailment in East Palestine, Ohio. The two companies didn't disclose any details of the agreement in their brief statement.

The third company involved in the lawsuit, GATX, which owned the railcar that caused the derailment, declined to comment on the settlement. The case is expected to go to the jury next week in a trial that began late last month. Residents are still waiting to receive most of the money from the settlement because of pending appeals, although some payments have started to go out.

Read more: https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/ohio/articles/2025-04-17/in-east-palestine-derailment-trial-railroad-and-chemical-maker-agree-on-who-pays-residents