A family in Wise County, TX has won a $2.9 million judgement against an oil and gas company in “what appears to be the first successful U.S. lawsuit alleging that toxic air emissions from oil and gas production sickened people living nearby,” ICN reports. After filing 13 complaints with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, recounting breathing troubles, nausea, nosebleeds, and ringing ears resulting from drilling operations in the Barnett Shale, Lisa and Bob Parr filed suit. A Dallas County jury concluded that Aruba Petroleum “intentionally created a private nuisance” that affected the family’s health. Aruba has asked the presiding judge to reverse the verdict. “This case will be looked at very, very closely because it has set the stage in a way that has never been set before,” said attorney Tomas Ramirez, who represents two families in similar lawsuits.
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