Public Safety
Judge approves $125 million Garden Grove hazmat settlement
The finalized settlement funds claims for evacuees, repays emergency-response costs, imposes civil penalties and requires seven years of independent safety monitoring at the GKN Aerospace plant.
An Orange County judge formally approved the $125 million civil agreement between the Orange County District Attorney's Office and GKN Aerospace Transparency Systems and GKN Aerospace over the May chemical-tank emergency in Garden Grove.
The court’s October 19 approval puts the stipulated judgment into effect after the district attorney filed the agreement for review one week earlier.
Evacuee claims: Up to $100 million
Emergency-cost reimbursement: $8,471,385.50
Civil penalties: $15 million
Independent monitoring: At least seven years
Claims program covers evacuation losses
An independent third party would administer the claims program for residents and businesses forced to evacuate during the five-day emergency that began May 21. Eligible costs would include hotel stays, meals, transportation, lost wages and loss of use, the official release said.
Authorities ordered more than 50,000 people — an estimated 13,000 to 17,000 households — away from the Garden Grove plant after a tank holding methyl methacrylate overheated and threatened to explode.
Agreement adds oversight and response repayment
The judgment requires an outside expert to monitor the plant for at least seven years. The defendants will pay $1.4 million in monitoring costs in addition to the settlement's other components.
The reimbursement would cover emergency response and abatement work by Orange County, the Orange County Fire Authority, several cities and other agencies. The district attorney's office said GKN cooperated throughout its investigation.
Official update: Orange County District Attorney — October 19 →
Community claims information: GKN Aerospace Garden Grove updates →