Supreme Court Rejects Appeal of $93M Monsanto Settlement in West Virginia

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The U.S. Supreme Court will not hear an appeal of Monsanto Co.’s massive settlement with thousands of West Virginia residents.

In an order Monday, justices said they would not review the $93 million settlement reached in the lawsuit. The Charleston Gazette said that means thousands of Nitro-area residents are closer to receiving medical monitoring and having their property cleaned up.

In November, the West Virginia Supreme Court affirmed a January 2013 ruling approving the class-action settlement. The lawsuit alleged that the Nitro community was contaminated with dioxin from the former Monsanto chemical plant.

The plaintiffs said Monsanto polluted their community by burning waste from production of the defoliant Agent Orange.

Under the settlement, thousands of Nitro-area residents will be eligible for the medical monitoring and property cleanups.