Dozens of Orange County residents file lawsuit against GKN Aerospace in chemical tank incident

GARDEN GROVE, Calif. — While Orange County officials say the toxic chemical crisis in Garden Grove has moved out of the emergency response phase and into a cleanup phase, a group of affected residents joined mass tort litigation after being evacuated from their homes for days.

Orange County-based attorney Shawn Steel announced the lawsuit on Friday, saying he is presenting individual cases rather than a class action, as the compensation requested for each person varies based on their experiences with the incident and evacuations.

So far, Steel said there are 30 plaintiffs and "Many of these cases are six figures," he thinks, in terms of financial compensation.

"Many of the clients here were given 15 minutes' notice. A police man went to their door, knocked on the door and said 'you gotta leave, now,'" Steel said.

He noted that people in the area didn't know much about GKN Aerospace and were quite surprised by the crisis.

Shadi Dababneh spoke at Friday's news conference announcing the litigation and said his parents have owned their Westminster home, directly across from the manufacturing plant, for 30 years. He said he grew up in the house and still lives there.

"I grew up there my entire life, and countless times I have driven past this plant, not knowing that it could possibly blow up one day." He said his father is fending off buyers, making low-ball offers on the property because of its location near the plant.

Steele said some issues people are dealing with are anxiety, fear, and psychological harm.

"Hard to measure, but it's real. For example, one of our clients, Roxanna, she was driving back into town, she started hearing what was going on with her family, she had a panic attack and went to the Kaiser emergency room," he said.

Officials say they averted disaster. There was never an explosion or a leak. GKN Aerospace has apologized and said the company is committed to understanding what happened and identifying ways to support those affected.

Steel said his clients are seeking compensation for various things like temporary lodging, hotel costs, food expenses, transportation, medical evaluation, relocation and moving expenses. Devalued property is also a concern.

Orange County leaders have already initiated action and launched an investigation into GKN Aerospace, as District Attorney Todd Spitzer announced an open probe into the company. He's asked anyone working there who wishes to be a whistleblower over illegal conduct or misdoings to come forward.

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