Another class-action lawsuit heads to court because of the water contamination crisis in Hoosick Falls.
This time, the man behind it is Michael Hickeythe same man who helped discover the PFOA contamination in the first place.
Hickey is widely credited for blowing the lid off the PFOA problem in Hoosick Falls.
His water tests shed light on the contamination andin timeled to a massive response to find a solution.
“I think people were drinking this water for an additional 14 months when they really didn’t need to be,” Hickey told CBS 6 last February.
Thursday, attorneys for Hickey filed a class-action lawsuit against Saint-Gobain Corporation and Honeywell International, the two major businesses state officials ruled to be the responsible parties in Hoosick Falls’ crisis.
In it, Hickey claims the companies were negligent. He believes people in Hoosick Falls “suffered a personal injury” from the release of PFOA into the water.
Hickey also point to ‘reduced property values’ in the village.
Along with property damages, he’s calling for the companies to set up and maintain a medical monitoring program –to keep tabs on anyone who consumed PFOA in the water.
“That will have the defendants pay for the medical surveillance and testing that should be done to diagnose and treat illnesses that come from this chemical contamination at an early stage,” explained Stephen Schwarz, a Rochester attorney representing Hickey and Hickey’s infant son in the suit.
We reached out to the companies for a response.
A Honeywell spokeswoman tells CBS 6 News:
“We are meeting with state agencies and working expeditiously to investigate and address groundwater contamination in Hoosick Falls.”
Saint-Gobain wouldn’t comment on the suit, but sent the following response:
As you can understand, we are not in a position to comment on specifics concerning litigation. However, the wellbeing of residents in the communities in which we operate is always a primary concern for the company – as we know it is for residents themselves. As with all of our dealings in regard to the events in Hoosick Falls, we will continue to be transparent in our dealings with all parties involved as we work toward resolving this issue.
Stay with CBS 6 for the latest developments in this story.
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