Three more lawsuits were filed against several company executives and the manager of the Exide battery recycling plant in Vernon by residents who allege they and their children were exposed to lead, arsenic and other contaminants.
One of the three new complaints filed Tuesday in Los Angeles Superior Court also alleges wrongful death and was brought by family members of residents who died between June 1998 and May 2013. Plaintiff Carmen Buenrostro attributes the deaths of both of her parents in 2002 and 2008 to toxins from the plant that affected the water, soil and air.
An Exide representative could not be immediately reached for comment on the total of five complaints filed against James Bloch, Exide’s CEO; Phillip Damaska, the company’s CFO; Ed Mopas, the firm’s environmental manager; John Hogarth, the plant manager; and R. Paul Hirt Jr., Exide’s president.
Two similar suits were lodged Monday. The allegations in all include negligence, trespass, continuing nuisance and absolute liability for ultrahazardous activity. In each complaint the plaintiffs seek unspecified compensatory and punitive damages.
Children are particularly susceptible to the effects of lead exposure, according to the suits, which allege the Exide plant is responsible for health problems ranging from kidney dysfunction to cancer and learning disabilities.
In September, Gov. Jerry Brown signed a bill requiring the Department of Toxic Substances Control to either issue a permanent permit or permanently shut the plant down by the end of 2015.
The Exide plant has been closed since mid-March while management works to upgrade pollution controls and meet other regulatory requirements.
