A federal judge has approved a $230 million class action settlement by the owners of a pipeline responsible for a 2015 oil spill off the California coast.
According to the Associated Press, an estimated 142,800 gallons of crude oil spilled into the sea from the rupture of the corroded Plains All American Pipeline, LP, blackening beaches and killing coastal wildlife.
It was California’s worst coastal oil spill since 1969, AP reported.
“Due to poor maintenance and extensive pipeline corrosion, Plains was found criminally liable in 2018 for the oil spill. The spill devastated the fishing industry and polluted coastal properties in Santa Barbara County. to Los Angeles County,” the law firm Capello & Noël, which represented some of the plaintiffs, said in a statement.
The company did not admit liability in Tuesday’s settlement, but agreed to pay $230 million to fishermen and coastal owners harmed by the spill. The company also paid to clean up the spill and paid an additional $60 million to settle federal allegations that it violated safety laws.
People who believe they are entitled to class compensation in the lawsuit have until October 31 to file a claim.
Plains All American Pipeline, LP has not yet responded to a request for comment.