Dunbar sludge lawsuit against City of Fort Myers tossed out by federal judge

Reporter: Taylor Petras
Published: Updated:
FILE

A federal lawsuit against the City of Fort Myers over the damages from Dunbar sludge has been tossed out on Monday afternoon.

In the lawsuit, the plaintiffs were demanding $500 million for dumping toxic sludge in the Dunbar community. Neighbors claimed the former sludge site made them sick. The sludge caused arsenic levels to rise in the soil near homes in the Dunbar community and it stayed that way for decades. The sludge has since been removed by the city.

The lawsuit filed over the toxic sludge site was brought before the Fort Myers division of the United States District Court Middle District of Florida by Attorney Ralf Brookes. The judge ruled there is no proof of imminent danger to neighbors, in effect dismissing the argument the city was negligent in removing the sludge.

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