An Essex County Superior Court judge granted preliminary approval of the $143 million class action settlement to compensate residents and businesses in Lawrence, Andover and North Andover, Massachusetts affected by the Sept. 13, 2018, Merrimack Valley gas explosions. Bailey Glasser partner John Roddy along with co-lead counsel Frank Petosa of Morgan & Morgan, Beth Graham of Grant & Eisenhofer, and liaison counsel Leo Boyle and Brad Henry of Meehan Boyle Black and Bogdanow released the following statement regarding this positive development:

“We are of course very pleased that the Court has granted preliminary approval of the settlement, and in so doing has started the notice and claims process. Today represents a significant step forward in bringing the communities of Lawrence, Andover and North Andover the compensation they're entitled to in a timely manner.

We know many residents and business owners have questions about the settlement; we want them to know: we hear you. We want to provide a forum for community members to ask any questions they may have. To that end, we will be scheduling town hall meetings now that the terms of the settlement have been preliminary approved – both in-person and online, in English and Spanish – to apprise people of their rights and the process for obtaining compensation as we move forward.”

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