A business owner with companies near where a Norfolk Southern train derailed and caught fire in February has sued the Atlanta-based railroad for $500 million, saying most of his eastern Ohio companies have remained closed and he hasn’t been able to reach a financial settlement with the railroad.
Edwin Wang filed his federal lawsuit Tuesday. It comes amid government lawsuits against Norfolk Southern and a class action case on behalf of residents who have complained about the derailment’s impact on East Palestine, Ohio.
Wang’s companies make specialized ceramic fiber insulation products for steel mills. The wholesale part of his business, CeramSource, was able to reopen last month in a new location just over the nearby Pennsylvania border. But contamination concerns and the costly equipment Wang can’t afford to replace have kept his other companies closed. Before the derailment spilled chemicals on his property, Wang’s companies employed close to 50 people and had plans to expand.
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