A group of 64 individual adjoining neighbors as plaintiffs with the City of Tell City (collectively, “T.C. Plaintiffs”) filed suit against General Electric Company (“GE”) in 2020 alleging that chlorinated solvents present in soils and groundwater at the company’s former 13th Street manufacturing plant in Tell City had impacted their real estate parcels. On March 9, 2024, GE and the T.C. Plaintiffs reached an amicable settlement of these claims.
Marian Whiteman of GE stated that “We are pleased to have reached a resolution with the City of Tell City and property owners/plaintiffs and bring this matter to a close. We continue to work with the Indiana Department of Environmental Management to evaluate onsite cleanup alternatives for facility soil and groundwater and remain committed to preparing the site for future reuse.” The settlement does not reflect any admission of liability by the company.
Tell City’s Mayor, Chris Cail, also provided his thoughts regarding the recent settlement, stating that “Once the remediation has been substantially completed, the City will have an option to purchase the remediated property from GE for a nominal fee. The City plans to redevelop the property to create an improved and wonderful space for our community. We are thrilled that the settlement will enable the City to greatly enhance the quality of life, quality of place, and quality of opportunity for this neighborhood and its residents through redevelopment of this former manufacturing site.” The law firm of Kahn, Dees, Donovan & Kahn, LLP, which concentrates its practice in resolving environmental law issues, represented the T.C. Plaintiffs. Mike Schopmeyer from Kahn, Dees, Donovan & Kahn, LLP stated “We are pleased to represent the Tell City Plaintiffs in this matter. Last summer, at considerable cost, GE had contractors construct an underground permeable reactive barrier wall (“PRB”) along 13th and Payne Street. The PRB is focused on remediating the offsite groundwater conditions that were also discovered adjoining this site. With this settlement, a win-win plan is in place beneficially to redevelop this former manufacturing site for the benefit of all the Tell City community. We are also pleased that by the efforts of all parties in this matter, the cleanup of the off-site contamination emanating from this site is proceeding.”
For more information, contact G. Michael Schopmeyer, Monica E. Edwards, or Michael E. DiRienzo.
Read more at the Evansville Courier and Press.
