LOS ANGELES — Companies linked to two cargo ships accused of damaging a pipeline months before it ruptured, sending crude oil gushing into the waters off Orange County, have agreed to pay $45 million to settle lawsuits brought by business owners and residents, attorneys said Thursday.
If approved by a judge, the settlement would end the legal wrangling by those whose livelihoods were affected after 25,000 gallons of crude oil gushed into the waters off Orange County in October 2021.
Attorneys representing the plaintiffs in the class action lawsuits said Thursday that they are also finalizing non-financial terms with the companies that owned and operated the MSC Danit and Cosco Beijing container ships to prevent “similar events from occurring in the future.”
