West Virginia Judge OKs Settlements in Agent Orange Suit

A West Virginia judge has approved a settlement in a class-action lawsuit filed by residents who say that chemical manufacturer Monsanto burned dioxin wastes, polluting the area with unsafe levels of the chemical.

Putnam County Circuit Judge Derek Swope gave preliminary approval Friday.

The former Monsanto plant’s production of warfare chemical Agent Orange created dioxin as a toxic chemical byproduct. The plant operated between 1929 and 2004 in Nitro.

The settlement creates an $84 million fund for Nitro residents to have their health monitored over 30 years and a $9 million fund to pay for professional cleaning of thousands of homes. Monsanto also has agreed to pay the residents’ legal fees.