The pending case of the State of Ohio versus AIP Logistics continues as representatives from both parties communicated with Auglaize County Common Pleas Judge Frederick Pepple on Monday to set further court dates.
“The parties are continuing to negotiate,” Pepple said.
A telephonic status conference is set for 11:30 a.m. June 30, during which both sides’ legal counsel will let Pepple know how negotiations are going. There is also currently a final pretrial scheduled for 11 a.m. Sept. 15 and a five-day jury trial set starting Oct. 24 in Common Pleas Court at 8:30 a.m.
The case stems from a chemical leak of ethylenediamine (EDA), which occurred Aug. 26, 2014, with other leaks reported since that time, including as recently as December 2014. These events resulted in an investigation by the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency.
EDA is classified as an extremely hazardous substance, which, unless tightly contained, emits toxic and irritating vapors into the atmosphere. EDA must be heated using steam coils around the outside of semi-trucks to allow it to be transferred. EDA is a widely used building block in chemical synthesis.