Residents of a New Orleans neighborhood built on a toxic former landfill won a $75.3 million judgment against the city and the subdivision developers.
On Monday, an Orleans Civil District Court judge ruled that the current and former residents of the Gordon Plaza subdivision, about 5,000 residents, are entitled to compensation for emotional distress and property damage.
The judge ruled that the city’s Housing Authority, Orleans Parish School Board, and the city itself are liable for the negative impact resulting from building Gordon Plaza, Press Park, and Morton Elementary School on top of the decommissioned Agriculture Street landfill.
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“This is a big deal for the residents of Agriculture Street,” lead attorney Suzette Bagneris, told Nola.com. Bagneris began working on the case when she was in law school. “Thirty years down the road, to see this come to an end, it’s an emotional moment.”
The news source says the city declined to comment on whether it will appeal the judgment.
This comes two months after the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans upheld a lower court ruling in February, which found the city was taking the proper steps in protecting Gordon Plaza residents from the toxics emitting from the land.
“It’s good news that will hopefully get some of us off this nasty landfill,” Jesse Perkins, a member of Residents of Gordon Plaza Inc., a nonprofit representing Gordon Plaza residents told Nola.com.