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Attorneys Ask to Postpone West Virginia Chemical Spill Trial
By: Associated Press
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CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) – West Virginia American Water Co. is asking a federal judge to delay a class-action lawsuit over a chemical spill that tainted tap water for 300,000 people in 2014.
The Charleston Gazette-Mail reports that in a court filing on Thursday, attorneys for the water company asked U.S. District Judge John T. Copenhaver Jr. to postpone the trial for 60 days, from its current starting date of July 12 until Sept. 12.
The attorneys say they need more time to complete depositions of potential witnesses in the case.
The lawsuit pits affected residents and businesses against West Virginia American Water, its parent company and Eastman Chemical. The lawsuit says the utility could have prevented Freedom Industries from seeping chemicals into the Elk River, causing a tap-water ban for the utility’s customers for days.