Kentucky Residents Mull Chemical Plant Settlement

A federal judge has given thousands of people who live in western Louisville an extra month to decide whether to be a part of a class-action settlement involving a chemical plant.

During a hearing Friday, U.S. District Judge John G. Heyburn II said people who live near Zeon Chemicals will have until July 20 to opt out of the lawsuit that was filed in 2007. The Courier-Journal says the lawsuit claims the plant’s emissions and odors had denied the residents “full use and enjoyment of their properties.”

Zeon has agreed to reduce emissions, pay into an air-monitoring fund and provide small cash awards to the residents. But some of the plaintiffs oppose the settlement because it releases the company from certain past and future liabilities.