Ill. Federal Court Certifies Class in Benzene Contamination Property Damage Cases in Roxana

EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. –– An Illinois District Court has certified a class of plaintiffs asserting property damage from alleged benzene contamination of properties surrounding an oil refinery in the town.

In the Sept. 3 decision, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois granted the plaintiffs’ motion to certify the class, opining that the plaintiffs had stated “concrete, particular, and actual” injuries.

A few weeks earlier, the court denied defense efforts to dismiss the claims. For more on this story, please see the September 2013 issue of Litigation Watch: Benzene.

The plaintiffs sought class certification for claims …