New Class Action Lawsuit Targets ExxonMobile for Pegasus Pipeline Rupture

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A class action lawsuit was filed June 27 in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas, Western Division, over contamination caused by the ExxonMobil Pegasus pipeline rupture.

The class action lawsuit was filed on behalf of people who own property abutting Lake Conway, which plaintiffs allege was left “physically contaminated and polluted” by the ruptured pipeline.

The Pegasus pipeline was built in the 1940s and originally pumped liquid oil from Texas to the northern U.S. Due to problems with the pipeline it was shut down for several years. Several years ago, the pipeline was reopened, but the oil flow was reversed to pump tar sands from Western Canada to the U.S. According to the class action lawsuit, ExxonMobil did not upgrade or replace portions of the pipeline despite knowing that it experienced seam problems. In fact, the company actually increased the Pegasus pipeline’s capacity by approximately 50 percent.

Spanning 6,700 acres, Lake Conway is the largest man-made lake in the U.S. It is frequently used for boating and fishing. On March 29, 2013, “the worst tar sands spill in Arkansas history occurred as the result of the fracturing of ExxonMobil’s pipeline,” the class action lawsuit says.

Estimates indicate that between 3,500 and 19,000 barrels of crude were spilled due to the pipeline rupture. Plaintiffs allege the ruptured pipeline polluted and contaminated Lake Conway and the surrounding area with “poisonous, carcinogenic and toxic chemicals, including but not limited to, benzene, toluene and other highly dangerous chemicals.”

The Pegasus pipeline rupture affected the town of Mayflower, Arkansas, located nearly 30 miles northwest of Little Rock, sending oil flowing into the streets and onto residential properties in the area. Many residents claim that they were unaware that the pipeline was located underneath their neighborhood.

Potential members of the Pegasus pipeline oil spill class action lawsuit include people who own property bordering Lake Conway and have experienced property damage from the ruptured pipeline. The plaintiffs are seeking monetary damages for the property damage they suffered because of the ruptured pipeline.

This class action lawsuit is not the first to be filed against ExxonMobil in the aftermath of the Pegasus pipeline rupture. In April, two Arkansas residents filed a complaint against ExxonMobil, seeking compensation for damages caused when the pipeline ruptured in their subdivision. They are seeking more than $5 million in damages.

Earlier this month, the Arkansas Attorney General and the federal government sued ExxonMobil, alleging that the company stored oil and oil-contaminated materials used to clean up the tar sands spill along a state highway without a permit, despite being instructed to remove the contaminated materials on May 1. Civil penalties could amount to $25,000 per violation.

Defendants in the Pegasus pipeline class action lawsuit include ExxonMobil Pipeline Company and Mobil Pipe Line Company.