Morgan & Morgan Law Firm hosts meeting with clients to address BioLab chemical fire

Story updated Oct. 23

LITHONIA, GA–Residents of Conyers and surrounding communities gathered on Monday, Oct. 14, for a meeting to address the recent fire at the BioLab chemical plant. The meeting was held for clients who have retained the firm and they were the only ones invited, a spokesperson from Morgan and Morgan stated in an e-mail on Oct. 23.

Over 200 people attended the 4 p.m. session at the Lucious Sanders Recreation Center in Lithonia. A second session was held at 6 p.m.

Three attorneys from the firm were on site, in addition to an environmental toxicologist, to discuss the incident’s impact on air quality and the potential short and long-term health implications for people who may have been exposed to toxic chemicals as a result of the Sept. 29 incident at the Conyers plant. 

Over 200 community members voiced their fears about potential chemical exposure and spoke about how the incident has impacted their homes, health and finances since the incident. 

One woman said she has not been able to speak above a whisper since the incident, while another person said his job has been closed since the fire. People spoke of health scares, pet loss and a growing list of losses and concerns.  

Morgan & Morgan’s legal team fielded dozens of questions and asked the crowd to allow them time to investigate.  

Two of the hot-button questions included what should people do now to protect themselves and what is the status of the air and water quality? 

Many people expressed frustration around the lack of information or resources.  

Attendees were encouraged to seek medical treatment and keep detailed records and receipts for any injuries, damages or expenses incurred as a result of the fire.  

Attorneys cautioned community members about signing any kind of document that they thought could forfeit their rights to receive compensation through a lawsuit. The warning came a day ahead of the opening of BioLab’s community outreach center. 

One of the attorneys at the meeting said: 

“The defendant will sometimes appear to be responsive to the community and try to act like they are there to help. Some of them aren’t. They’re not always forthcoming in giving all the answers. We work very hard at digging and getting those answers. We don’t have all the answers right now, but we will.” 

In addition to seeking medical attention and documenting the fire’s impact on your household, attorneys encouraged attendees to continue putting pressure on local and state government for transparency and support. 

In closing out the event, the attorneys said, “The most important thing is to protect yourself and your family. Our goal here is to get you justice – to get you compensation for what this has caused to you and your family and hold BioLab and Kik(BioLab’s parent company) accountable and ensure that this doesn’t happen again.”