Contractor says it has settled lawsuit with sick and dying coal ash workers

By TRAVIS LOLLER
Associated Press

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Attorneys for a group of workers who believe their cleanup of a massive coal ash spill led to a slew of illnesses have reached a settlement with the contractor. The spill occurred in 2008 at the Tennessee Valley authority’s Kington plant. More than 200 workers have sued Jacobs Engineering, claiming the company’s supervisors misled them about the dangers of the ash, failed to provide them with protective gear like respirators and tampered with the air monitors meant to keep workers safe. Their lawsuits have dragged on for a decade while dozens of workers have died. According to a notice posted on the Jacobs Engineering website on Tuesday, the parties have reached a confidential settlement. Nothing has yet been filed with the court.