DENVER (AP) — A $375 million settlement has been reached in a lawsuit filed by thousands of homeowners who said plutonium releases from a former nuclear weapons plant outside Denver hurt their health and devalued their property.
Plaintiffs' attorney Merrill Davidoff said Thursday the deal must still be approved by a federal judge.
The agreement would settle a 26-year-old lawsuit over the Rocky Flats plant west of Denver, which made plutonium triggers for nuclear warheads. It closed in 1989.
The lawsuit named Dow Chemical and Rockwell International, which operated the plant for the Energy Department.
Rockwell Automation, a successor to Rockwell, and Dow both said they expect the Energy Department to repay them for the cost of the settlement.
The department acknowledged it's responsible for at least some of the settlement but didn't say how much.
