MUSCATINE, Iowa — A class-action settlement was reached Tuesday in a seven-year case between a Muscatine grain-processing company and local residents who claimed the factory’s noxious odor and air-borne haze contributed to health problems.
In the agreement approved by Muscatine County District Court Judge John Telleen, the Grain Processing Corporation (GPC) agreed to pay $45 million to settle some 14,000 claims and to spend $6.5 million on pollution controls at the plant.
According to the terms of the settlement, people who lived within 1.5 miles of the plant between April 24, 2007, and Sept. 1, 2017, might qualify for a settlement. The nuisance lawsuit was originally filed in 2012 and became a class-action suit in 2015, according to court documents.
Qualifying Muscatine residents have until March 19 to file a claim in order to receive from $2,000 to $16,000, depending on where they live in relation to the factory.
