$54 MILLION: MARYLAND FLY
ASH, CLASS ACTION SETTLEMENT WINS COURT APPROVAL
A Milestone in Maryland Environmental and Legal
History |
BALTIMORE, MD, December 31, 2008
--/WORLD-WIRE/-- Hassan Murphy, managing partner of The Murphy
Firm, announced today that Judge Alfred Nance, Circuit Court Baltimore
City, has approved the multimillion-dollar settlement of the firm's
class action suit against Constellation Power Generation, a subsidiary
of Constellation Energy, on behalf of residents of Gambrills, MD. The
litigation claimed that Constellation contaminated residents’ water
supplies and endangered lives by dumping coal ash in a sand and gravel
quarry near their homes in Anne Arundel County for more than a decade.
The approved settlement totals $54 million.
The settlement provides for:
- The connection of 84 households, previously supplied by
private wells, to public water;
- The establishment of two trust funds to compensate affected
property owners and provide site enhancements in the neighborhood;
- The remediation and restoration of the former quarry site; and
- The commitment to cease future deliveries of new coal ash to
the quarry.
The costs and benefits of these expenditures, improvements and legal
fees currently are estimated to be $54 million, said Hassan Murphy,
managing partner of The Murphy Firm. Murphy said, “The settlement is a
milestone in Maryland environmental and legal history. It serves the
plaintiffs’ personal and economic rights, and provides for their
future safety as well as long-term restitution. The Murphy Firm along
with The Angelos Firm is honored to have played a decisive role in
bringing about a speedy, equitable solution to a significant problem
which threatened potential long-term dangers to both the environment
and human well-being. This landmark settlement effectively mitigates
risks of future harm. The tragic coal ash spill in Tennessee
demonstrates the devastating impact that coal ash can have on
unsuspecting communities. This settlement clearly signals communities
near fly ash dumps that they can reclaim their communities and regain
their lives.”
Mr. Murphy is available for interviews.
Contact:
Levi Rabinowitz
Redzone News
443-280-1911
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