Freedom Industries News

$151M West Virginia Chemical Spill Settlement Approved

A federal judge has given final approval of a $151 million settlement of a lawsuit stemming from a chemical spill into a West Virginia river. The Charleston Gazette-Mail reports that U.S. District Judge John T. Copenhaver granted approval Friday of …

Federal Judge Halts West Virginia $151M Water Crisis Settlement

A federal judge has declined to grant preliminary approval to a $151 million settlement stemming from a 2014 chemical spill that sparked a water crisis in West Virginia. Local news outlets report Judge John T. Copenhaver Jr. said in an …

American Water Files Settlement Over Role in 2014 West Virginia Water Crisis

A proposed settlement was filed Wednesday in the state investigation of West Virginia American Water’s role in a chemical spill and resulting water crisis in the Charleston area three years ago. Thousands of gallons of a coal-cleaning agent leaked from …

Many Hands Await $151M West Virginia Chemical Spill Payout

After a $151 million settlement was reached in a West Virginia chemical spill that tainted a local water system, the real wait begins for residents and businesses hoping to cash in on the claims process. And for whoever is hired …

$151M Settlement Reached Over 2014 Chemical Spill in West Virginia

A federal judge on Monday tentatively approved a $151 million settlement involving two companies sued over a 2014 chemical spill that contaminated drinking water in southern West Virginia. U.S. District Judge John Copenhaver approved the proposed deal after more than …

Federal Investigators Conclude West Virginia Chemical Spill Was Preventable

A 2014 chemical spill into the water supply of 300,000 West Virginians could have been avoided if a company inspected its storage tanks and saw two tiny holes forming at the bottom, federal investigators said Wednesday. Almost three years after …

Federal Scientists Issue Final Update of West Virginia Chemical Spill Study

Federal government scientists have released a final update of their study of the January 2014 chemical spill that temporarily fouled the drinking water supplies of 300,000 Charleston-area residents, reporting no significant new findings. The Charleston Gazette-Mail cited the report as …

Ex-Freedom President Gets 1 Month in Prison for West Virginia Chemical Spill

An executive who appeared unsympathetic when he spoke to the public after a chemical spill sullied tap water for 300,000 people in West Virginia was sentenced to one month in federal prison Wednesday. Ex-Freedom Industries President Gary Southern, who told …

Ex-Freedom Industries Exec Sentenced to 1 Month for West Virginia Chemical Spill

A former Freedom Industries executive was sentenced Feb. 11 to one month in federal prison for a chemical spill that fouled the drinking water supply of 300,000 West Virginians. Dennis Farrell also was fined $20,000 in U.S. District Court. “I’m …

Company Responsible for West Virginia Chemical Receives ‘Symbolic’ Fine

A bankrupt chemical company responsible for a spill that contaminated a West Virginia river and fouled the drinking water supply of 300,000 residents was fined $900,000 on pollution charges Feb. 4, with a judge noting that Freedom Industries likely could …