Huge Settlement in BKK Landfill Case
More than 500 people who lived near the BKK Landfill in West Covina before it was closed to toxic waste in 1984 are sharing in one of the largest settlements ever obtained in a toxic-waste case--$43 million, lawyers disclosed Wednesday.
A suit filed in 1980 against BKK Corp. and W&A; Builders Inc., which built homes near the dump, was settled in 1986. The amount of money involved, however, was not disclosed until documents were unsealed Wednesday in Los Angeles Superior Court.
Attorney Herbert Hafif, who represents 508 residents, said his clients are receiving $7 million from BKK Corp. and $3.2 million from W&A; Builders. The rest of the money is coming from insurance companies that issued polices to BKK.
Residents said in their suit that the dump created health and safety problems. More than 3.4 million tons of hazardous waste are buried in the BKK Landfill, making it one of the nation’s largest toxic-waste sites.
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