Ohio attorney general announces lawsuit against Norfolk Southern over East Palestine derailment

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Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost announced on Tuesday that his office filed a lawsuit against Norfolk Southern over the East Palestine train derailment.

Yost made the announcement during a Tuesday afternoon press conference, which comes after the Feb. 3 Norfolk Southern train derailment in East Palestine. A train with 50 rail cars, 10 of which were carrying vinyl chloride, derailed in East Palestine. The derailment caused hazardous chemicals to spill onto the ground and sent a plume of smoke into the air.

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This photo taken with a drone shows portions of a Norfolk Southern freight train that derailed Feb. 3, in East Palestine, Ohio, are still on fire on Feb. 4, 2023. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File)

"This afternoon in the federal district court for the northern district of Ohio, the state of Ohio has sued Norfolk Southern over the February 3 derailment and subsequent toxic spill that occurred near the village in the village of East Palestine. This is a 53-count complaint. One hundred six pages and looks to hold Norfolk Southern responsible for their actions," Yost said.

In a statement, a spokesperson for Norfolk Southern said that since the derailment, its "goal has been to make it right for the people of East Palestine and the surrounding communities."

"This week, we met with Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost to discuss three additional programs we plan to develop in conjunction with his office and other community leaders and stakeholders," the statement read. "We are prepared to work with stakeholders toward that goal as well. We look forward to working toward a final resolution with Attorney General Yost and others as we coordinate with his office, community leaders, and other stakeholders to finalize the details of these programs."