U.S. judge approves settlement in Canadian oil-by-rail disaster

TORONTO, Oct 9 (Reuters) - A U.S. bankruptcy judge on Friday
approved a settlement that clears the way for payments to
victims of Canada's Lac-Megantic crude-by-rail derailment,
according to the trustee for the insolvent railway at the heart
of the disaster.
The approval came after Canadian Pacific Railway Ltd CP.TO
withdrew its objections to the plan, said trustee Bob Keach.
"The focus now is back where it should be, which is on the
victims of the Lac-Megantic derailment, and getting them the
compensation they deserve," said Keach.
He is aiming to have the settlement funds, some C$445
million ($345 million), paid out by the end of this year.
Forty-seven people were killed on July 6, 2013, when a
Montreal, Maine & Atlantic railway train carrying Bakken oil
derailed and exploded in the heart of the Quebec town of
Lac-Megantic.
Parties previously named in a class action lawsuit,
including closely held Irving Oil, General Electric (NYSE:GE) GE.N ,
Shell Oil Co RDSa.L , ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) COP.N , Marathon Oil (NYSE:MRO)
MRO.N and others, agreed to contribute to the compensation
fund for victims of the explosion.
CP Rail, which transported the oil tank cars involved in the
accident to Montreal before handing them over to Montreal, Maine
& Atlantic, has not contributed to the settlement. The railway
has long argued that it is not responsible for what happened
after it handed over the cars.
It challenged a Quebec court's jurisdiction in approving the
deal, which left it as the sole target of the class action
lawsuit.
In July a Quebec judge rejected CP's challenge, but appeals
could have delayed settlement payments.
CP spokesman Jeremy Berry said CP "has been working with the
trustee on a solution that protects CP's interests while
allowing compensation to be paid to the victims as soon as
possible."
"CP will continue to defend itself in any future lawsuits,
as the train was not operated by CP employees, traveling on CP
tracks, or using our locomotives or railcars," he said.
Keach said the compromise clarified that if there is a
judgment against CP in the future, any financial penalty would
be reduced based on what ha already been paid under the
settlement agreement.
($1 = 1.2947 Canadian dollars)