Miller Thibodeauxattorneys Kerry Miller, Rebekka Veith, Hogan Paschal, and Carly McCleskey secured a $35 million settlement on behalf of St. Croix residents harmed by toxic releases from the Limetree Bay Refinery in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Miller Thibodeaux serves as co-lead counsel for the plaintiff residents in the suit.
In June 2021, plaintiff residents filed the class action lawsuit in the District Court of the Virgin Islands against the refinery’s operators, owners, and investors, including Limetree Bay Ventures (“LBV”), Limetree Bay Energy (“LBE”), and EIG Global Energy Partners (“EIG”), among others.
Plaintiffs allege that after the refinery reopened in February 2021 following nearly a decade of closure, it repeatedly showered pitch oil onto homes and into cisterns, while releasing noxious gases, including hydrogen sulfide and sulfur dioxide, into surrounding neighborhoods. In May 2021, after a series of toxic releases, the EPA took the rare step of invoking emergency powers to shut the refinery down, calling its continued operation an imminent threat to public health.
Residents described oil droplets falling from the sky, a persistent rotten-egg stench that kept families awake at night, and contaminated cistern water that many islanders depend on for drinking, bathing, and irrigation. People reported burning eyes, nosebleeds, nausea, headaches, and breathing difficulties, and some were hospitalized.
Plaintiffs allege EIG, LBV, and LBE controlled operations of the refinery during the 2021 releases. EIG, LBV, and LBE have agreed to pay $35 million into a settlement fund to be jointly administered with earlier settlements, adding to the total recovery for the affected community.
The matter is captioned Boynes et al. v. Limetree Bay Ventures, LLC, Case No. 1:21-cv-00253, in the United States District Court for the District of the Virgin Islands.