LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Dozens of southwest Louisville residents have filed suit against local industrial plants, claiming pollution from the plants has made them prisoners in their own homes.
More than 80 residents joined together in the suits filed in Jefferson Circuit Court on Tuesday, seeking financial compensation and punitive damages from E.On U.S., the parent company of Louisville Gas & Electric, and Hexion Specialty Chemicals.
The residents say pollution from the plants has affected their health and lowered their property values.
LG&E runs the Cane Run coal-fired power plant, which residents say puts out a heavy black powder that settles on homes and needs constant attention.
"I've got black stuff in my pool," said Adonna Willibaum, one of the plaintiffs. "I've got brown root beer foam in my pool."
The suit against Hexion claims the smell from the plant makes "a very strong offensive chemical odor."
Peter W. Macuga II, a Detroit-based attorney who is part of the team handling the lawsuits, said the residents are dealing from health issues stemming from pollution at the plants.
"Everybody who lives around there suffers from some type of medical problems," he said. "We're evaluating each of these cases individually."
Attorney Matthew L. White said the lawsuits are designed to get the plants to stop polluting the area.
E.On U.S. spokesman Chip Keeling said the company has done a good job of meeting environmental regulations and that residents have rarely called to complain about the pollution.
Peter Loscocco, a spokesman for Hexion, did not comment on the lawsuit. However, he said the company has tried to be a good neighbor in the past by quickly addressing complaints from residents.
The amount of money the residents are seeking is not specified. Phillip Shepherd, a former secretary of the Kentucky Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Cabinet, said the state has put limits on how much plaintiffs can receive for their homes.
Shepherd added punitive damages can only be awarded they are able to prove in court that the companies showed "intentional malice."