We are in the process of transferring the info@eastpalestinetrainsettlement.com email inbox to Epiq and email to that inbox may be returned as undeliverable during this time. Please continue to email info_EpiqAdministrator@epiqglobal.com for assistance. We will update the website once this is resolved.
Important Update: Following the Court’s June 11, 2025 Order appointing Epiq as the Substitute Settlement Administrator, this website, toll-free phone number, email, and mailing address are now operated by Epiq. The email address and phone number remain the same, but the mailing address has changed to P.O. Box 6820, Portland, OR 97228-6820. The East Palestine Settlement Center is now permanently closed and Epiq will notify people directly about plans for distributing checks and to set up calls for any cancelled appointments.
If you received a Denial Notice, the deadline will be extended and a response is no longer due by June 24, 2025. At this time, we do not have a new date your response is due by. You should use this period to review the documentation you have submitted and be prepared to submit your appeal documents when a new deadline is published.
As part of this transition, there may be delays and we appreciate your patience.
The Settlement Website details the class action lawsuit that involves the Persons and Businesses harmed by the Norfolk Southern Corporation and Norfolk Southern Railway Company (collectively “Norfolk Southern”) for losses they suffered from the February 3, 2023, derailment of Norfolk Southern Train 32N, including the “vent and burn” of five railcars on February 6, 2023. The Honorable Benita Y. Pearson of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio is the judge overseeing this case, called In re East Palestine Train Derailment, Case No. 4:23-cv-00242. In the lawsuit, the Plaintiffs allege that Norfolk Southern (among others) caused the Incident and, as a result, the Settlement Class suffered real property damage, personal property damage, displacement expenses, lost wages, loss of business income, diminution of property value, increased risk of disease, emotional distress, disruption, inconvenience, loss of use and enjoyment of property and loss of goodwill. Norfolk Southern denies the claims asserted in the lawsuit and denies any wrongdoing, including that it violated any law.
You are a Settlement Class Member if you lived, worked, owned property, or owned or operated a business within 20-miles of the Derailment Site from February 3, 2023, to April 26, 2024. You are excluded from the Settlement Class if you are a director or duly elected and approved officer of Norfolk Southern, or any of its parents, subsidiaries, or affiliates; Norfolk Southern employees, and contractors of Norfolk Southern and their employees, who were specifically sent by Norfolk Southern to the area in and around the Derailment Site to respond to the Incident and do not otherwise fall within the definition of Settlement Class; Norfolk Southern’s Counsel; Class Counsel; a government, political subdivision, public entity, or public agency; and the judge presiding over this Action and the judge’s staff.
This Website explains important rights you may have. These rights and options, and the deadlines to exercise them, are further explained in the Notice you may have received, or you may review the Frequently Asked Questions page of this website for additional information. Your legal rights were affected whether you acted or not.