The very serious fire at the Weaver Fertilizer Plant in Winston-Salem, North Carolina continues to burn as of Wednesday morning. The Winston-Salem Fire Division Chief indicates that the burning has been contained to the plant site but the area remains unsafe. The current plan is to continue to let the fire burn out as approaching the fire is very dangerous due to the risk of explosion of the stored ammonium nitrate.

The evacuation of the 1 mile radius around the plant continues to remain in place as of Wednesday morning. As things are currently understood, the evacuation of over 6,000 residents will not continue into Thursday. Therefore, the affected residents may have significant financial losses from this event including lodging expenses, food costs, and loss of wages due to an inability to work or reach a place of employment. For many people who live month-to-month, these losses could be devastating.

Legal Help

If you or your family have been displaced from your home due to this incident, our firm may be able to help you. Our firm has represented residents in similar cases in North Carolina and across the country. Our environmental legal team includes attorney Mike Malone who has handled significant plant explosion cases across North Carolina and in other jurisdictions including Pennsylvania and California. Mr. Malone helped thousands of evacuees obtain fair compensation for evacuation related losses following the EQ explosion in Apex, North Carolina in 2006.

If you have a question about your losses due to the Winston-Salem fire, call us today at 919-420-7867.

The fire was first reported on Monday at around 7:00 p.m. at the plant which is located near the 4400 Cherry Street. The plant stores a significant amount of ammonium nitrate which creates a significant explosion hazard. According to some reports, the plant stores between 300 and 600 tons of ammonium nitrate which produces toxic oxides of nitrogen when it burns. Ammonium nitrate has caused explosions at similar fertilizer plants in recent years including the 2013 explosion at the West Fertilizer Plant in West, Texas.

In addition to the families who have been forcibly evacuated, residents within the general area have been asked to remain inside and avoid strenuous exercise.

If you are among the families displaced as a result of this serious fire, our firm may be able to help you recover your expenses for this serious event along with damages for your inconvenience. Our firm has significant experience pursuing claims for evacuees under similar circumstances. We helped thousands of evacuees following the 2006 explosion at the EQ facility in Apex, North Carolina. We have also served as lead counsel for claims arising from fires in Hudson, North Carolina, Raeford, North Carolina as well as incidents in Pennsylvania and California. In each of these cases, we helped thousands of displaced families obtain fair compensation for the losses caused by the evacuation.

Call us today at 919-420-7867 and ask to speak with attorney Mike Malone.

The lawyers at Hendren Redwine and Malone are pursuing cases seeking reimbursement for tuition and other costs following campus closures due to the Covid-19 crisis.

Our lawyers, in conjunction with nationwide co-counsel Hagens Berman, have already filed one class action case against Duke University demanding that Duke reimburse students for the variety of fees collect by Duke for services that were never provided to the students. This case, pending in the United States District Court of the Middle District of North Carolina, was the first of its kind filed in North Carolina.

Our lawyers are also investigating claims against other institutions of higher learning as well as private schools who have collected millions of dollars in tuition, room and board, and other fees but now refuse to reimburse students who certainly did not receive what they paid for.

While schools and institutions have attempted to provide an academic experience using Zoom or other online learning platforms, it is hard to deny that these approaches fall far short of the full campus experience. In many instances, schools charged over thousands of dollars per year for services and campus activities will never be provided. It is simply not fair that the school and institutions should keep the money of hard-working families that have saved a lifetime to pay for a full college experience that was never delivered.

If you have a question about a tuition or fees reimbursement claim, please feel free to contact our lawyers to discuss a possible claim.

Our lawyers are actively pursuing claims involving market valuation reports prepared by CCC and relied on by automobile insurance companies in North Carolina. Our investigation indicates that many claims were not properly adjusted and paid by insurance companies.

If you have questions about whether you were properly paid for your totaled vehicle, we would be happy to discuss a possible claim for you. Call 919-420-7867 and ask for attorney Michael Malone.

There is no charge for the call and we charge attorneys’ fees only if we recover for you.

Last week, a construction company headquartered in Canada drove a steel casing into the main electric line that provides power to Hatteras Island and Ocracoke Island cutting off these two islands at a critical time of year. Thousands of vacationers have been evacuated and local businesses have also been affected.

As of today, there is no timeline on when power may be restored to both islands. There are apparently some generators in use but the ability of these generators to supply power across both islands is unclear.

For many vacationers, travel insurance may provide some relief for the significant losses incurred by thousands of families. However, it is not clear whether travel insurance will cover the losses from a man-made event such as the cutting of electrical power. Even if travel insurance covers some of the losses, under North Carolina law we believe that the construction company responsible for this incident is still liable to the vacationers for their losses. The company should not benefit because the vacationers spent their own money on premiums for travel insurance.

The North Carolina Vacation Rental Act provides some information about legal rights following a mandatory evacuation. Unfortunately, the language of the Vacation Rental Act suggests that if a vacationer chose not to purchase travel insurance, the landlord or renter is not required to refund any money paid for the vacation rental when there is a mandatory evacuation. Most renters probably declined travel insurance since this time of year is not known for significant hurricane activity. However, this statute would not affect the ability of a vacationer to seek compensation against the responsible construction company.

The lawyers at Hendren Redwine & Malone have now filed a class action lawsuit against the contractor responsible for the power outage on Hatteras and Ocracoke Island. This lawsuit seeks recovery for vacationers and homeowners who were deprived of the use and enjoyment of their homes as a result of this incident. For those of you who believe you may have been affected, we encourage you to keep any receipts that you believe may be related to losses from this incident as well as a copy of your rental agreement for your vacation property. If the proposed class action lawsuit reaches a point of resolution, these items may be required in order for you to recover your damages.

Our firm is currently investigating additional claims arising from this incident. If you have questions about your legal rights following this incident, contact us today.

As a result, over ten thousand people have been evacuated and numerous businesses are shut down. The losses from this mishap by the construction company will certainly be very high both for visitors and local businesses.

The attorneys at Hendren Redwine and Malone have significant experience helping families and business for losses causes by an evacuation. Our attorneys have served as lead counsel or co-lead counsel on similar cases in numerous jurisdictions across the United States. If you have a question about your legal rights following this incident, please contact us today.

Casselton, a town of about 2,400 residents, underwent a precautionary evacuation that lasted into Tuesday, December 31, 2013. Complicating matters were temperatures below zero which certainly made it difficult for the residents of Casselton. Residents of Casselton reported that the explosions from the accident shook their homes and businesses for hours.

The derailment happened even as concerns are growing over the safety of shipping significant quantities of crude oil by rail. Fortunately, in this accident there were not the same catastrophic effects of a similar accident in Ontario this past summer. In the Ontario accident, forty-seven people died following the derailment of a train carrying crude oil.

There are reports that BNSF has set up a claims center for people displaced form their homes due to this accident. Typically, these claims centers only reimburse people for out-of-pocket expenses related to an evacuation. The lawyers at Hendren & Malone have represented thousands of families in similar cases across the country and secured compensation not only for out-of-pocket costs but also for the loss of use of the home and other incidental expenses such as lost wages. If you or a family member have a question about your rights following an industrial accident such as this, contact the lawyers at Hendren & Malone for a free consultation.

If you have had a criminal sentence vacated due to the court decision in Simmons, please contact the law firm of Hendren & Malone to see if you may have a claim for compensation.

Reports are that several North Carolina medical practices may have received the tainted medication including the North Carolina Orthopaedic Clinic, Eastern Regional Surgical Center in Wilson, and the High Point Surgery Center. If you are a patient of any of these facilities, you should contact your doctor immediately. Symptoms of fungal meningitis include headache, fever, nausea, neck stiffness, and dizziness.

The outbreak has apparent origins at the New England Compounding Center which prepared the steroids for distribution. The company has now issued a recall for all of its products.

If you or a family member have any questions about your legal rights arising from the meningitis outbreak, please call the attorneys at Hendren & Malone for a free consultation.

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If you or your family have been affected by this explosion and evacuation, call Hendren & Malone today. The lawyers at Hendren & Malone have brought cases for evacuation related damages in multiple jurisdictions. We were the attorneys for the residents of Apex, North Carolina who were evacuated in 2006 following an explosion at the EQ facility. That case resulted in a $7.85 million settlement for the residents in a class action.

Click here more on this small victory.

The case settled for about $2.75 million. Click here for the story.

If you have a question about overdue wages or failure to pay overtime, call Mike Malone at Hendren & Malone for a free consulation.

According to the article. CertainTeed changed the way it made the siding starting in 2002. At that time, they started using fly ash instead of grain and silica sand in the siding. The fly ash has different physical characteristics including an increased water absorption. This has apparently resulted in long-term defects in the product.

This sounds somewhat similar to numerous other construction defect cases that we have looked at. The lawyers at Hendren & Malone are currently working on class actions relating to defective Chinese drywall. If you have a question about a class action or a defective construction product, call Mike Malone at Hendren & Malone today for a free consultation.

The case involved alleged violations of the Servicemembers’ Civil Relief Act. According to the article, Chase failed to interest rates on mortgages as required under the Act. Under the Act, interest rates were to be reduced to 6% by a certain date. To settle the case, Chase has set aside about $48 million. Chase has apparently also agreed to reduce mortgage interest for SCRA borrowers to 4%.

Click here for the full story.

If you have a question about a class action, call Mike Malone at Hendren & Malone for a free consultation.

Often called “don doff” suits because they relate to donning and doffing protective gear, claims such as this typically are brought under the Fair Labor Standards Act or similar state-based wage and hour laws.

This class action could affect as many as 5,000 workers.

This is an interesting case and every company should make sure it’s employees are paid for all required work-related activities.

Click here for more on this story.

If you have a question about your rights to wages or a class action in North Carolina, call Mike Malone at Hendren & Malone today.

This is a interesting and troubling case. North Carolina is one of the leading poultry producers in the United States and ammonia refrigeration systems are likely used in virtually every plant. Just a few weeks ago, there was a significant ammonia leak from a turkey processing plant in Raeford, North Carolina. The lawyers at Hendren & Malone are currently evaluating claims relating to the Raeford incident.

If you have a question about a class action, contact Mike Malone at Hendren & Malone.

This is a very interesting story which significant impact to North Carolina military families. If you believe that you may have paid excessive fees as part of a refinance of your mortgage, call Mike Malone at Hendren & Malone.

If you have a question about your legal rights as a nursing home or assisted living resident in North Carolina, contact Mike Malone at Hendren & Malone. You can also send an email by using the box to the right. Usually, we respond to emails within an hour.