17 people who claimed they became ill at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam’s Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage in 2021 were given more than$ 68, 000 by a federal prosecutor last Wednesday.
The court’s decision to award over$ 68, 000 to the 17 people involved in the lawsuits involving the jet fuel hole that caused the Navy’s drinking water system to be contaminated in Hawaii is expected to set a precedent for the lawsuits brought by around 7,500 other military personnel, defense family members, and civilians who filed lawsuits after the event in 2021.
According to NBC News, Leslie Kobayashi’s ruling granted each of the plaintiffs various payments ranging from$ 5, 000 to over$ 104, 000. The contaminated water may have contributed to the various medical issues that the military families who were impacted by the jet fuel leak may have experienced, but the evidence did not establish a direct link between the medical issues and the contaminated water.
According to NBC News, one of the plaintiffs ‘ attorneys, Kristina Baehr, requested that each of the plaintiffs receive payments ranging from$ 225, 000 to$ 1.25 million. The military families ‘ financial awards, according to the outlet, were disappointing, but the attorney claimed the families “prevailed against all odds against the U.S. Government.”
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In a press release obtained by NBC News, Baehr stated,” These families can be proud that they helped demonstrate what really happened when the Navy poisoned the water supply near Pearl Harbor and sickened so many people.” The Court rejected the government’s claim that there was not enough fuel to make anyone ill, and that thousands of our clients were just psychosomatic.
The Hawaii jet fuel leak, according to CBS News, happened in May of 2021 when a ruptured pipe caused more than 20 000 gallons of fuel to pour down a fire suppression line. The issue was left unreported for about six months before a cart struck the fire suppression line, which reportedly sparked a significant leak of fuel into a drinking water well at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam.
A Navy investigation report released following the incident, according to CBS News, found that U.S. military officials did not immediately notify the Hawaii Department of Health, that the Navy continued to claim the drinking water was safe despite failing to conduct an analysis of the water, and that they had also failed to implement emergency plans four times.
