5th settlement reached in IP suits

Published 12:00 am Tuesday, September 29, 2009

A settlement was reached Monday in one of two remaining federal lawsuits against International Paper following the May 3, 2008, explosion at the Redwood plant.

The case involved James A. Jones, a Harrison County resident and employee of RMR Mechanical Inc. The two parties announced a settlement signed by U.S. Magistrate John Roper. Terms were not available.

One case remains active before the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi, involving brothers David and Darren Clark, also employed by RMR and identified in court documents as residents of North Carolina.

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The firm was contracted to perform routine maintenance near the plant’s recovery boiler, which was offline at the time of the blast. Jones and the Clarks, along with four others whose cases were settled two weeks ago, sought punitive and compensatory damages in the suit, claiming the boiler was “negligently and recklessly ignited” while it contained combustible gas. They were treated for injuries at a Georgia burn center.

Another case, filed by contract employee Glenn Rankin, remains active in Warren County Circuit Court. No trial date has been set.

No IP personnel were involved in the blast, which killed one contract worker and injured 17 others. The Mississippi 3 mill shut down for six months after the explosion.

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Contact Danny Barrett Jr. at dbarrett@vicksburgpost.com