Appeal delays $600 million class action settlement payments in fiery Ohio derailment

Settlement checks related to Norfolk Southern's disastrous 2023 derailment could be delayed up to two years now because an appeal of a federal judge's decision last week to approve the $600 million deal has been filed, lawyers in the case said Monday.

Many residents of East Palestine, Ohio, expressed outrage about the appeal because it will delay the payments they had been counting on to help them recover from the toxic train crash that disrupted their lives when it spewed hazardous chemicals into their community. Some people had planned to use the money to relocate.

People in town who are frustrated they won't get their money right away lashed out at Rev. Joseph Sheely and started threatening him and his wife Monday because his name is on the appeal. Sheely did challenge the settlement this summer but said he specifically asked his lawyer to leave him out of any appeal and doesn't want any part in it. He said with the serious health concerns he and his wife developed since the derailment, they can no longer tolerate the stress of being at the center of the case.

“I was trying to do something for the residents of East Palestine, including myself,” Sheely said. “But it seems like they don’t want anybody to do anything. They just want the cash. And so I’m done. I’m so totally done.”