Suit filed in Trail Creek spill

SUIT FILED IN TRAIL CREEK DISASTER

            A class action lawsuit was filed in Athens-Clarke County Superior Court on Friday, August 20, 2010 on behalf of property owners along Trail Creek in Athens, Georgia against J&J Chemical Company. The suit alleges nuisance and trespass, among other causes of action related to the spill of poisonous chemicals into the creek, killing its wildlife, dying it blue, and causing noxious odors or fumes and foamy build up along the creek’s route to the North Oconee River.

            Eric Krasle, a local attorney, as well as John C. Bell, Jr. of Augusta’s Bell and Brigham firm and Jim Dunlap, an Atlanta attorney, represent the current Plaintiffs and will be adding additional ones.

            According to Krasle, who also owns land along the Oconee River downstream and represented plaintiffs in the 2006 Hunnicutt Creek petroleum spill in northern Athens, “The pending litigation may be instrumental in obtaining documents, which may not otherwise be disclosed, as well as unifying potential Plaintiffs in an action which efficiently addresses the liability, remediation, and future prevention issues.”