The chemical spill that poisoned the water supply for 300,000 customers has prompted dozens of lawsuits, many of them filed by attorneys in Charleston who experienced first-hand the spill’s effects.
Dozens of lawsuits have been filed since Jan. 9, when a chemical used to process coal leaked into the Elk River upstream from the state’s capital city. West Virginia American Water Co. warned 300,000 customers not to drink, shower or wash clothes with the tainted tap water. Bans now have been lifted for some residents, but many businesses and schools remain closed. The U.S. attorney’s office in Charleston has opened an investigation, and congressional officials have called for regulatory changes and hearings on the spill.
