Exxon Pegasus Pipeline: For one reason or the next, it seems as if oil spills and related disasters are more common than they should be. Recently, Exxon Mobil Corporation (NYSE:XOM) finds itself dealing with a messy situation that has impacted thousands of people, as well as wildlife, in Mayflower, Arkansas.
The rupture of Exxon’s Pegasus pipeline led to the evacuation of more than 40 homes in the area, while also resulting in health risks for the people of the area. Along with this, a variety of wildlife has been lost due to the accident.
While the initial damage was bad enough, the real fight is just now getting underway. As you can imagine, people throughout the area are not happy about the oil spill and its negative impact. For this reason, the first round of lawsuits are making their way to the courtroom.
According to NBC News, two local residents have filed a class action lawsuit against Exxon Mobil Corporation (NYSE:XOM). In short, they are looking to be compensated for damages related to the pipeline that ruptured last week.,
The article adds the following:
“Kathryn Chunn and Kimla Greene, residents of Ledrick Circle, filed the lawsuit in U.S. District Court on behalf of themselves and other affected residents and are seeking more than $5 million in damages. According to the 16-page document, which was posted on the Arkansas Times website Friday, homeowners within 3,000 feet of the pipeline were impacted by the spill that occurred in Mayflower, Ark., a suburb 20 miles from Little Rock.”
If you want to read the entire lawsuit, you don’t have to look any further than this link. If you take the time to scroll through the 16 page document, you will get a better idea of where these residents are coming from and why they feel that Exxon Mobil is responsible for the accident.
Why would Exxon Mobil be responsible for something that appears to be nothing more than an accident? In the lawsuit, it claims that the “pipeline’s capacity was increased by 50 percent in 2009 and that the line was not adequately maintained or inspected.”
Although Exxon Mobil Corporation (NYSE:XOM) has yet to respond to the lawsuit, the company has said online that it is paying for all cleanup and “will honor all valid claims.” Of course, this doesn’t speak to the $5 million lawsuit.
While the lawsuit claims that 19,000 barrels of oil were spilled, an official release by Exxon pegs this number closer to 5,000.
If you are interested in learning more about how the Exxon Mobil Corporation (NYSE:XOM) has impacted the area, check out the seven first-hand accounts on the pages to come (WARNING PROFANITY):
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