Arkansas property owners in an area contaminated with a cancer-causing chemical degreaser have reached a tentative $2.9 million settlement in a proposed class action targeting Whirlpool Corp., which operated a factory there for 45 years, according to federal court documents.
The agreement between Whirlpool and home and business owners was filed on July 3 in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Arkansas. It contains a two-tiered offer that would provide about $2.6 million to owners of 55 parcels most affected by the soil and groundwater contamination from the former refrigeration manufacturing facility near Fort Smith, Ark. That will be earmarked for those who can document a decrease in their property’s value because of the pollution.
