(The Associated Press distributed the following article on August 22.)
MANDAN, N.D. — Lawyers involved in a civil suit are objecting to a settlement the state reached with Burlington Northern Santa Fe over a decades-old diesel spill here, Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem said.
The railroad last month agreed to pay more than $30 million in cash and real estate to settle a lawsuit over diesel fuel contamination that has plagued Mandan’s downtown for decades.
The Mandan law firm of Kelsch, Kelsch, Ruff and Kranda also is suing the railroad on behalf of more than 70 individuals who claimed damages to their health and property values.
The firm recently filed a motion in Northeast District court to intervene in the state’s action.