(The Associated Press circulated the following on June 4.)
LEWISVILLE, Ark. — An Arkansas judge has certified a case against Union Pacific as a class-action lawsuit and instructed lawyers to promptly notify members of the class.
Judge Jim Hudson has not yet set a date for a hearing in the case.
The lawsuit alleges Union Pacific officials pressured families of those injured or killed by trains to quickly settle for amounts lower than what they might have received with a lawyer’s help.
Phillip Duncan, a lawyer for three Arkansas residents who sued, says the class includes people involved in accidents between 1992 and Feb. 14, 2005.
Duncan says at least 100 people – maybe more – could eventually join the suit.
He says they must be Arkansas residents and not work for Union Pacific, which is based in Omaha, Neb.