MILLSBORO, Del. - A 2017 wastewater upset at Mountaire Farms' Millsboro plant prompted multiple lawsuits from neighbors who allege that upset contaminated their drinking water. The poultry plant has reached a settlement in one of two lawsuits. According to court documents, this one involves 106 people.
While the case is over, it's unlikely we'll learn what led up to the settlement. The lawsuit was settled with a confidentiality order. That means those involved can't talk and the details won't be released. It is unclear what compensation Mountaire will provide in this case and another lawsuit lingers.
Mountaire has long denied that any drinking water has been contaminated, though the company has taken multiple steps to improve plant processes.
A complaint was filed by the law firms Nidel & Nace and Jacobs & Crumplar in June 2018 for 106 people seeking compensation for property damage and odor issues they said were caused by the poultry plant. That lawsuit was just settled in Delaware Superior Court. Attorneys previously told our reporters that clients were seeking medical monitoring and a change in Mountaire's wastewater treatment practices.
A spokesperson for Mountaire told WRDE on Thursday that the poultry plant would be unable to provide a comment due to the gag order with an unresolved separate class action lawsuit and because of this lawsuit's confidentiality agreement.
As for the ongoing class action lawsuit, attorney Chase Brockstedt says in a statement to WRDE: "We are aware of this settlement on behalf of a small group of residents. The case we are pursuing is much different. We remain under a gag order in the state court and therefore have no further comment."
Mountaire and DNREC are working to resolve the state penalties from that 2017 upset with a consent decree. That involves upgrades and fines for Mountaire. Brockstedt says some of his clients have objected to that agreement.
