(The Associated Press circulated the following article on October 3.)
LAFAYETTE, La. — Attorneys overseeing a $65 million settlement over a May 2000 Eunice train derailment have rejected 241 requests for a share of the cash and are scrutinizing other claims.
The initial rejections came after hearings in which 451 people, mostly out-of-towners, were interviewed about whether they were actually in Eunice at the time of the derailment.
“If they said they were at Wal-Mart at seven at night, well, they couldn’t have been,” said Eunice attorney Terry Hoychick.
Wal-Mart locked its doors at 2 p.m. after an evacuation of the city was ordered when rail cars carrying hazardous chemicals derailed.
Roughly 12,200 people have submitted claims for money in the settlement, which Union Pacific Railroad Company agreed to earlier this year.
Of the 451 people summoned to answer questions last month about their claim for a part of the settlement, 79 were rejected because of inconsistencies in their stories and 162 were rejected because they failed to show up to court, Hoychick said.
He said 197 claims were allowed to stand and 13 have been rescheduled for a later hearing.
Lafayette attorney Kenneth Dejean, appointed to help manage the payout, said the number of rejections has left lawyers considering a second round of hearings.
“It’s the general feeling that additional claims need to be removed,” Dejean said.
He said a decision on whether additional hearings should be held will be made this month.
Assuming the maximum allowable attorneys fees of 40 percent, each plaintiff could receive roughly $3,000. The amount paid to each person will be determined through a review process.
Those whose claims were thrown out can appeal.