Trial Will Determine Who Will Pay $600 Million Settlement In Disastrous Norfolk Southern Derailment

MICHIGAN, UNITED STATES – FEBRUARY 18: A train derails in Michigan with several cars veering off track in Van Buren Township, in Michigan, United States on February 18, 2023. There are no reported injuries or release of hazardous materials at this time. Congresswoman Debbie Dingell, Representative of the district that includes the site of the derailment, stated âThe car carrying hazardous material has been put upright and is being removed from the area of the other derailed cars, and EPA is dispatching a team to ensure public safety.â The train was operated by Norfolk Southern, the same company operating the train that derailed in East Palestine, Ohio less than two weeks ago. The company has faced scrutiny for the ongoing situation in East Palestine after the release of hazardous chemicals. It is unclear what caused Thursdayâs derailment in Michigan, first reported before 9 in the morning. An investigation is ongoing. (Photo by Nick Hagen/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

Norfolk Southern wants two other companies to help pay for the $600 million class-action settlement it agreed to over its disastrous 2023 train derailment near the Ohio-Pennsylvania border and the toxic chemicals that were released and burned. The railroad filed the motion that is set to go to trial starting Monday to force the transportation company GATX and the chemical manufacturer OxyVinyls to share the cost of the settlement because Norfolk Southern believes those companies are partly responsible for what happened in East Palestine, Ohio, on Feb. 3, 2023. GATX and OxyVinyls say the railroad alone is responsible for the derailment.