The owners of the oil refinery in Coffeyville, Kansas that was responsible for the oil spill earlier this week have been named in a lawsuit that has been filed on behalf of a man who lost his home and business as a result of the oil spill. Coffeyville Resources LLC allowed over 71,000 gallons of its oil to spill out of the refinery during the time heavy flooding that was covering the area.
The lawsuit which was filed in joint by Parker Waichman LLP, Hutton & Hutton Law Firm LLC, Neblett, Beard & Arsenault and Becnel Law Firm LLC was filed with request for class action status as thousands of residents and businesses are sure to have been affected by the disastrous oil spill. The spill could not have happened at a worse time as heavy flooding resulting from heavy rain allowed the oil to rapidly travel and affect a very large area.
At the time of the oil spill the plant was shutting down as a response to the flooding that was overwhelming the area. Workers at the refinery were trying to transfer oil from a storage facility to the plants main storage tank when the oil continued to flow which caused the main tank to over flow and send thousands of gallons of crude oil spilling out into the flood waters and down the Verdigris River.
The economic and environmental impact that the Coffeyville, Kansas oil spill will cause is immense and it will take years for the area to recover from such a disaster. Many more are expected to file suit against the refinery due to the widespread property and health damage the spill has caused.
