The lawsuit has been filed against Norfolk Southern Railway, the operator of the train carrying toxic chemicals that derailed on Feb. 3.
Plaintiffs in the case — residents from the East Palestine area — are seeking oversight over the cleanup process and the creation of a fund for medical monitoring.
The lawsuit invokes the legal doctrine of public nuisance, which has previously been used to take on both tobacco and opioid companies. We have more on the effort at TheHill.com.
The effort comes as the National Transportation Safety Board on Thursday released its preliminary report on the train wreck.
While the board has not yet identified a probable cause, the early report seemingly confirmed that a wheel bearing overheated just before the train jumped the track.
