Final Settlement Approved in Water Crisis Suit

A final settlement was approved Thursday in the class-action lawsuit involving the West Virginia water crisis. Attorneys said that checks could be sent out in May at the earliest. Nearly 64,000 claims have been filed to receive their share of the $151 million settlement in the class-action lawsuit filed over the January 2014 MCHM chemical spill. The deadline for filing claims is Feb. 21. Under the settlement, residential households, including homeowners and renters, can file a simple claim to receive up to $550s for the first resident and $180s for each additional person who lived in the home. The final settlement was delayed Jan. 9 after a judge said he wanted more information.