BUTTE - Some Butte residents recently filed a lawsuit against Montana Resources claiming Butte’s recent water contamination scare caused them economic and emotional hardship.
The Graybill Law Firm filed a class action complaint against Montana Resources on behalf of two Butte residents seeking undisclosed monetary damages.
The suit alleges the mine was negligent in the Aug. 13th incident in which processed water from the mine got cross connected with a water line connected to Butte’s municipal water system.
The lawsuit states plaintiffs Amanda Longfield and Eric Jozovich were “severely inconvenienced by being unable to consume and otherwise use the public water.”
And they “incurred monetary damages for the costs of bottled water and other mitigation costs …” and this “caused anxiety, mental anguish, and emotional distress.”
A representative with Montana Resources told MTN News it could not comment on the pending litigation.
Butte officials reported on Aug. 18 that test results of Butte municipal water showed no contamination and Butte’s water meets all safety standards. The do not consume order has since been lifted.
WATCH: Montana Resources faces class-action lawsuit
Attorney Raph Graybill says the lawsuit is not just about monetary damages.
“One, is to get some answers about: How this was ever allowed to happen? How long it’s actually been going on? And what the effects with be? The second goal of the lawsuit is to make sure there is some accountability, making sure it doesn’t happen again,” said Graybill.
