Seventeenth Judicial Circuit Court Associate Judge Stephen Balogh is expected to approve a $94.5 million settlement for residents who lived within a 3-mile radius of the massive June 14, 2021, Chemtool industrial fire in Rockton.
No objections to the settlement were filed, and the case is back in court Friday.
“We think the settlement is an excellent result for the class,” Ed Manzke, of the Naperville-based Collins Law Firm, told the Rockford Register Star in an email.
Those who submitted valid claims will get compensation based on whether they were property owners or renters, and also based on whether they lived within 1 mile of the plant, or between 1 and 3 miles from the plant, said Manzke, who is one of seven attorneys representing the plaintiffs.
More: Rockton Chemtool neighbors in process of filing claims for part of $94.5M settlement
The class action settlement reached with Chemtool and its parent company Lubrizol Corp. includes an estimated 2,700 homeowners and tenants who lived within 3 miles of the lubricant production plant, 1165 Prairie Hill Road.