Coal ash cleanup contractor not immune from workers’ suit

By TRAVIS LOLLER
Associated Press

A contractor hired to clean up the nation’s worst coal ash spill is not immune from being sued by workers who say they weren’t properly protected. The 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled last week that the Tennessee Valley Authority is not immune from the suit, so Jacobs Engineering is not protected by derivative immunity. A lawsuit against Jacobs by more than 200 workers says the contractor exposed them to coal ash dust, causing a slew of illnesses, including cancers. A jury in 2018 found Jacobs breached its duty of care to the workers. They cannot recover any money until they prove at a new trial that the breach caused their individual illnesses.