East Chicago residents on Tuesday sued a group of companies in federal court and are seeking damages because of contamination on their properties.
A group of property owners in the Calumet neighborhood, which is within the U.S.S. Lead Superfund site, filed a federal lawsuit against a group of companies the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has held responsible for contamination in that section of East Chicago.
The suit seeks damages to the residents' property caused by the contamination and for causing emotional distress, according to court documents, and that residents have been subjected to decades of toxic contamination.
As residents learned about the levels of contamination and about the inaction and failure to inform them of that, it caused anxiety among the residents, according to court documents.
"Their property values have plummeted and they cannot sell their homes. Worse, they constantly worry about the health and safety of themselves and their families," the lawsuit said. "They no longer let their children play outside or let their grandchildren visit, and they are left to wonder whether the high incidents of respiratory issues, kidney disorders, cancer, asthma and learning disabilities that occur frequently in their community were caused by lead and arsenic poisoning or other contaminants endemic to the Superfund site."
The group of residents alleged that the companies never notified them of the discharge of contaminants into the neighborhood, according to court documents, and the contamination has decreased their property values and left them unable to sell or rent their homes.
"The actual diminution in assessed value of plaintiffs' properties is due to defendants' contamination," the lawsuit said.
The lawsuit claims that property values in the neighborhood west of the Superfund site are higher, and market conditions suggested valuation in the Calumet neighborhood should have risen.
The contamination has led to property sales in the neighborhood declining, according to court documents, and only six have sold to date in 2017, while 21 sold in 2016 and 17 in 2015.
"Potential buyers who learn about the defendants' contamination are unwilling to purchase plaintiffs' properties," the lawsuit read.