EAST PALESTINE — East Palestine City Schools intends to sue Norfolk Southern for “broken promises,” according to a press release from law firm Peiffer Wolf Carr Kane Conway & Wise.
The district plans to file suit against the railroad in Youngtsown’s U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio Eastern Division on Wednesday for “refusing to reimburse emergency response costs and fulfill promises to ‘make it right’ for students” in the wake of the 2023 train derailment and chemical release. East Palestine Schools allege that failed financial commitments between the district and the railroad include a $30 million community investment to relocate athletic facilities and a build a community wellness center.
“The East Palestine City School District Board of Education will file a major new lawsuit against Norfolk Southern to recover losses it incurred as a result of the disastrous train derailment on February 3, 2023,” the press release said. “The complaint will detail how the company failed to fulfill its commitment to reimburse emergency response costs, including for housing and transporting residents displaced by the mandatory evacuation orders and the use of school facilities by emergency personnel. It will also detail how Norfolk Southern failed to fulfill its promise to relocate and rebuild the district’s athletics facilities and build a community wellness center, which it estimated would cost over $30 million.”
The East Palestine High School gymnasium became the center of relief efforts in the hours following the derailment while the elementary school was used to house the incident command center.
In November of 2023, the district gave a detailed account of all monies received from Norfolk Southern. The funds included an open donation of $300,000 made by Norfolk Southern in March 2023. Of that $300,000, $40,000 was earmarked for athletics due to the cancellation of sporting events and opponents unwillingness to come into the village with $38,337.82 of the earmarked money spent on equipment and uniforms. A total of $10,650 from the open donation “was spent in different buildings for a number of different events and the materials that were used.” Approximately $250,000 remains.
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It is unclear what money the school received from the commitments and pledges made by Norfolk Southern and what is left to be settled.
Full Source: Morning Journal April 25 2025
