Chemtool payments waiting on assessed property values
Attorney Dan Flynn still expects payments to be sent at least by early February.
Attorney Dan Flynn, who represents Rockton-area residents in the Chemtool class action lawsuit said this week:
“Our claims administrator is still confirming the 2022 Equalized Assessed Value for all property owner claimants. We expect to have those numbers this week or next and that then the payment calculations can be conducted. We still hope that payments start this month, but there is a chance that they may go out in early February. We will hopefully know more once Analytics has all the 2022 EAV data.”
Resident Doug Clayburg comments, "I wasn’t aware that EAV factored into this. One also has to also wonder why wasn’t done a long time before now."
The Chemtool plant in Rockton will not be reopened, but Lubrizol, its parent company, still has plants around the world.
On Dec. 17, attorneys successfully met with a mediator to settle Holian's part in the disaster. A Holian contractor accidently broke a pipe with a scissors lift, releasing a pool of mineral oil that caused the fire.
Shari Lynn Grayson, a product manager at Analytics Consulting, testified that on June 14, they mailed 6,388 notifications, using the official NCOA database to forward them to any property owner who had moved. On Aug. 30, they mailed another 685 notices to property owners who weren't on the first list. They updated and re-sent the 69 of the 197 notices that were returned to sender, but they couldn't find correct address for 128 of them. They estimate that 6,945 of the 7,073 notices were received. As of Sept. 1, 2024, they had received 968 emails and 4,422 calls from residents. By Sept. 5, they had received 2,363 claims. Analytics' expenses totaled $83,016.14.
The Huntington National Bank is serving as the escrow agent for the claims payments.
Thanks to Hannah Mayton for sending us these court records.
Related stories from our archive
- Chemtool deadline is Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024
- Residents will be able to resubmit Chemtool claims that didn't go through
- Chemtool claims from more than 100 Rockton residents may be missing
- Missing Chemtool claims are being investigated
- Judge approves Chemtool settlement
- Residents near Chemtool can file claims for a portion of the $94.5 million settlement
- Judge will issue preliminary approval of Chemtool settlement in next few weeks
- Blackhawk Acres residents can connect to Rockton water at no charge
- The unfolding legal chronicles of Chemtool, Lubrizol, Rockton, and Holian
- Chemtool cleans up, lawsuits warm up
- The EPA found metals in Rockton water in 2004, but not enough to keep testing for them.
- Heavy metals found in Rockton neighborhood groundwater, may not be new
- Chemtool finally estimates what burned in the fire and what was released over Rockton
- Chemtool hasn't released list of materials, says fire reduced everything to its elemental form
- Chemtool fire: officials claim they're gathering information, not holding it back
- Chemtool responds to state lawsuit
- State attorneys file suit against Chemtool for environmental recovery
- Environmental expert: be concerned about years, not days, of exposure to chemicals
- Rockton fire chief: Chemtool contractor released mineral oil, ignition occurred
- Chemtool fire dwindles, cleanup continues, lawsuits emerge
- Rockton air quality remains stable, Chemtool will pay for debris cleanup and evacuee expenses
- Chemtool employees still being paid, Rockton still under evacuation order
- Lubrizol employees in France think they've seen this smoke plume before
- Gov. Pritzker sends National Guard to respond to chemical fire in Rockton
