Attorneys leading a class-action lawsuit alleging that the Orlando Utilities Commission’s coal-fired power plants contaminated the properties of more than 30,000 residents will lead a town hall Tuesday night.
The Feb. 19 town hall is at 6 p.m. at the DoubleTree Hotel, 12125 High Tech Ave., near the University of Central Florida. The attorneys will be joined Stephen Ellingson, an expert on testing and human and ecological risk assessment, according to a news release.
The lawsuit was filed on behalf of residents in Avalon Park, Eastwood, Stoneybrook and other communities surrounding Stanton Energy Center. It alleges the public utility’s coal plants spread carcinogenic toxins that have led to a spike in brain, blood and pediatric cancers among residents in parts of east Orange County, where the coal-fired plants are located.
The suit claims that the incidence of “central nervous system cancer in the contamination area is five to ten times higher than in Orange County and the U.S. and that Ewing’s Sarcoma, an extremely rare form of cancer primarily in children and young adults, is approximately nine times higher than the expected rate.”
The suit, however, is not seeking compensation on behalf of any residents who are dealing with illnesses allegedly linked to the coal-fired plants.
OUC disputes the suit’s claims of negligence.
Tonight’s town hall will be led by lead counsel Ted Leopold of Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll PLLC, as well as Steve Morrisey of Susman Godfrey LLP.
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This article appears in Feb 13-19, 2019.