Second TCE Lawsuit Filed In The County
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WATER VALLEY — A second lawsuit has been filed in Yalobusha County Circuit Court alleging decades of exposure to toxic chemicals at the former Holley Automotive plant in Water Valley caused serious illnesses among workers and residents.
The complaint, filed March 10 in the Second Judicial District of Yalobusha County, names 30 plaintiffs and the same corporate defendants identified in a similar lawsuit filed Feb. 24.
Attorney George “Boo” Hollowell, who represents the plaintiffs, said the two lawsuits are expected to be the first of many filings tied to the contamination. Hollowell told the Herald the litigation could eventually involve dozens of lawsuits and close to 1,000 plaintiffs.
The two lawsuits contain largely identical allegations and legal claims but involve another groups of plaintiffs.
The earlier lawsuit included 38 plaintiffs — 31 personal injury claims and seven wrongful death claims — while the newly filed complaint adds another group of individuals claiming injuries linked to exposure to trichloroethylene, commonly known as TCE.
The March filing includes also five wrongful death claims tied to the deaths of Richard Jones, Samuel Pascu, Margaret Hayes, Robert Keglar and Delois Vanlandingham.
The remaining plaintiffs allege personal injuries related to exposure to TCE. Those plaintiffs include:
Quentin Earl Logan, Josephine Booker Martin, Rosie Minor, Catherine Morgan, Robert Pascu, Raymond Phillips, John L. Reed, Dahila Rogers, Larry Roland, Carey Eugene Sartain, Larry Stacy, Shirley Rockette Toles, Charesia Turner, Excell Vance Jr., Brenette Walker, Mamie Moore Walker, Clayfers Walton, Daisy Delita Walton, Lloyd Walton, Frankie White, Johnny White, Leon White, Linda Gale White, Ruthie Mae White and Callie Woodard.
According to the complaint, many of the plaintiffs worked at the Holley Automotive facility at 600 Highway 32 East over a period spanning several decades beginning in the 1970s.
The lawsuits claim workers and nearby residents were exposed to trichloroethylene through contaminated drinking water, soil and vapors that migrated from the plant site.
TCE is an industrial solvent historically used to clean metal parts during manufacturing operations. The complaints allege the chemical was used in degreasing equipment at the plant and that waste containing the solvent was improperly handled or disposed of, allowing it to contaminate the surrounding environment.
The lawsuits further claim the contamination created a plume beneath and around the facility that has spread beyond the plant property.
According to the complaint, groundwater testing has indicated the contamination plume covers roughly 340 acres and extends in a northerly direction from the plant.
The lawsuits name a number of companies and individuals connected to the plant’s historical operations or later environmental cleanup efforts.
Among the defendants listed are Detrex Corporation, Italmatch USA Corporation, WSP USA Inc., First Environment Inc., AAE Consulting LLC, Dames & Moore Inc., W.L. Burle Engineers, Avant Construction, Kevin Moore and Michael Slack.
The plaintiffs allege those companies manufactured chemicals used at the facility or were involved in environmental remediation efforts that failed to adequately address the contamination. Detrex Corporation is alleged to have manufactured degreasing equipment that used trichloroethylene at the facility, while Italmatch USA Corporation is accused of later acquiring Detrex and its related liabilities through a corporate merger.
Several engineering and environmental consulting firms are also named for their roles in investigating and addressing the contamination over the years. The complaint alleges that Dames & Moore Inc. helped design and implement early remediation efforts at the site from approximately 1987 through 1993.
Ecology and Environment Inc., later acquired by WSP USA Inc., is alleged to have been involved in environmental remediation work at the facility from about 1996 through the present.
First Environment Inc. is also accused of participating in remediation efforts from the mid-1990s through the present, while AAE Consulting LLC is alleged to have worked as a subcontractor on cleanup efforts since at least 2016. W.L. Burle Engineers is accused of involvement in remediation activities since about 2015. The complaint further alleges that Avant Construction has participated in the monitoring and operation of the remediation system in Yalobusha County since at least 2012. Two engineers, Kevin Moore and Michael Slack, are also named as defendants in connection with oversight of portions of the remediation work.
The complaints seek damages for medical expenses, lost wages, pain and suffering and other losses. The lawsuits also request punitive damages and a jury trial.
The new state court filings come shortly after a related federal lawsuit filed by eight former workers was voluntarily dismissed on Feb. 23, 2026, in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Mississippi.
The earlier federal case focused largely on alleged workplace exposure claims brought by former employees. The newly filed state lawsuits place greater emphasis on environmental contamination and alleged exposure affecting both workers and residents outside the facility.
Attorney George “Boo” Hollowell, who represents the plaintiffs, told the Herald that workers’ compensation proceedings related to some of the former employees are continuing separately through the Mississippi Workers’ Compensation Commission.
EnPro Absence Highlights Key Difference From Earlier Federal Case
EnPro Industries is responsible for periodic testing and remediation efforts in the contaminated area after entering an agreement with the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality in 2016. Environmental workers are pictured on property on South Main Street testing soil samples in 2022.
WATER VALLEY — One glaring difference in two new state court lawsuits involving trichloroethylene contamination connected to the former Holley Automotive plant is the absence of EnPro Industries, the corporate successor that assumed environmental liability for the site.
Through a series of corporate transactions dating back decades, EnPro ultimately became responsible for environmental liabilities associated with the former carburetor manufacturing plant at 600 Hwy. 32 East in Water Valley.
The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) has also ordered EnPro to carry out remediation associated with the contamination, a cleanup effort that has been ongoing for more than a decade. The work includes groundwater monitoring and mitigation efforts tied to trichloroethylene contamination that migrated beyond the plant property.
Because of that responsibility, EnPro has overseen portions of the environmental monitoring and remediation tied to the contamination plume that extends beyond the plant property.
EnPro also obtained environmental covenants with property owners located within the plume area. These covenants restrict certain land uses and prohibit the installation of water wells without approval from the MDEQ. The restrictions are intended to prevent residents and businesses from unknowingly being exposed to contaminated groundwater.
EnPro has previously been named as a defendant in lawsuits connected to the toxic chemical spill in Water Valley. In 2020, the company settled a lawsuit with Yalobusha County and Yalobusha General Hospital for $3 million related to loss of property value. The settlement stemmed from environmental damage to county-owned property, including land associated with Yalobusha General Hospital.
EnPro also settled a second lawsuit filed by 33 plaintiffs that included homeowners and businesses located north and northwest of the Water Valley plant. The properties are located within a contaminated groundwater plume that covers approximately 340 acres. Terms of that settlement were not disclosed.
EnPro was also a central defendant in an earlier federal lawsuit filed June 4, 2024, by eight former workers who alleged exposure to TCE during their employment at the Water Valley facility.
The plaintiffs in that case were Odester Andrews, Excell Vance, Josephine Martin, Eddie Foster, Billy Harris, Joan Berryhill, Patricia Camp and Clayfers Walton.
The lawsuit named EnPro Industries and EnPro Holdings along with Detrex and Italmatch entities.
Court records show the federal case quickly became tied up in procedural motions as defendants challenged whether the claims could proceed as civil tort claims.
Defense attorneys argued that many of the allegations centered on workplace exposure and therefore fell under the Mississippi Workers’ Compensation Act rather than traditional civil litigation.
The federal lawsuit was largely centered on allegations of occupational exposure by former employees during their time working at the plant, according to the complaint and amended complaint.
The two new lawsuits filed in Yalobusha County Circuit Court emphasize broader environmental contamination claims. The complaints allege that a plume of TCE-contaminated groundwater and vapors spread beyond the plant property and exposed both workers and nearby residents.
In March 2025, the federal court partially granted and partially denied an early motion to dismiss and allowed the plaintiffs to file a second amended complaint.
Additional motions followed, and the case was stayed again in April 2025 while the court considered renewed dismissal arguments.
The last substantive filings came in May 2025 when plaintiffs asked the court to deny a renewed motion to dismiss and defendants filed a reply.
The court never issued a final ruling on those motions.
On Feb. 23, 2026, the plaintiffs filed a notice of voluntary dismissal, ending the federal case.
Attorney George “Boo” Hollowell told the Herald that workers’ compensation claims connected to some of the former employees are continuing separately before the Mississippi Workers’ Compensation Commission.
Unlike the federal lawsuit, EnPro is not named as a defendant in the two new state court cases filed in Yalobusha County.
TCE Timeline
• 1972 – The Holley Automotive Division of Colt Industries acquires the Ram Tool manufacturing facility in Water Valley and begins producing automotive parts at the plant. Trichloroethylene (TCE) is used as a degreasing solvent in the manufacturing process.
• October, 1988 – The Mississippi Department of Health conducted a water assessment of a municipal well on the plant’s property and a domestic well located within a short distance from the plant. The tests revealed TCE concentrations well in excess of the EPA’s maximum contamination level.
• 1989 – Colt conducted a groundwater investigation in the vicinity of the plant and the results were also positive for TCE above the regulatory level.
• 1990 – The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality orders Coltec to investigate the extent of TCE contamination in soil and groundwater surrounding the facility and develop a remediation plan.
• Mid-1990s – Sampling and monitoring wells confirm a large TCE groundwater plume extending north of the plant toward Otoucalofa Creek and the surrounding community.
• 1991-1992 – Coltec installed two groundwater treatment systems to the north of an expanding TCE contamination plume coming from the plant.
• 1993-1996 – Coltec excavated and treated by a thermal “cooking” process approximately 3,500 cubic yards from the plant premises.
• 1999 – B.F. Goodrich Company acquires Coltec Industries, which had previously operated the Water Valley plant. Through this acquisition, Goodrich assumes environmental liabilities connected to the site. In 2002, Goodrich Corporation creates EnPro Industries Inc. as a separate company. As part of the corporate restructuring, EnPro contractually assumes environmental liabilities associated with the former Holley Automotive plant in Water Valley.
• 2002 – 2016 – EnPro installed numerous monitoring wells to the north, northwest and northeast of the plant in an attempt to define the borders and dimensions of the groundwater contamination plume. In the majority of the wells testing during this time, the TCE concentrations in the groundwater exceeded the EPA’s maximum contamination level for TCE in the Water.
• 2011 – A remedial pumping system intended to remove TCE from the groundwater was shut down by EnPro in 2011 without informing the State of Mississippi. EnPro reports the system experienced “iron fouling”. Although MDEQ reported the system was shut down in 2011, allegations in earlier lawsuits indicated the pumping system may have been inoperable as early as 2007.
• 2015 – MDEQ requires additional testing to determine whether contaminated groundwater may be producing vapor intrusion into nearby buildings and homes.
• February, 2016 – The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality hosts a public meeting at the Water Valley courthouse to inform landowners of the potential threat of vapor intrusion.
• February, 2017 –TCE concentration in the ground water underneath the plant is releasing TCE vapor, which intrudes on a constant basis into the work areas of the then BorgWarner plant building. Employees are notified of the threat. Immediate action was taken by EnPro and BorgWarner to increase ventilation inside the facility to help reduce workers’ TCE exposure. According to MDEQ these measures could include installing exhaust fans, adjusting the HVAC system to circulate air flow, and/or installing air purification systems.
• January, 2019 – A lawsuit is filed against EnPro Industries, Inc. and other defendants by Yalobusha County and Yalobusha General Hospital
• February, 2019 – A second lawsuit is filed against EnPro Industries and other defendants by almost 30 landowners who have property or live in the area affected by the contaminated groundwater and soil.
• 2020 – EnPro settles a lawsuit with Yalobusha County and Yalobusha General Hospital for $3 million related to property value loss tied to contamination near the plant.
• 2024 – Eight former workers file a federal lawsuit alleging occupational exposure to TCE during their employment at the Water Valley facility.
• June 4, 2024 – Eight former workers file a federal lawsuit in U.S. District Court alleging occupational exposure to trichloroethylene (TCE) during their employment at the Water Valley plant. The lawsuit names EnPro Industries, EnPro Holdings, Detrex and Italmatch entities as defendants.
• Feb. 23, 2026 – Plaintiffs voluntarily dismiss the federal lawsuit before the court issues a ruling on pending motions.
• Feb. 24, 2026 – The first of two new lawsuits related to the TCE contamination is filed in Yalobusha County Circuit Court.
• March 10, 2026 – A second lawsuit related to the contamination is filed in Yalobusha County Circuit Court.
