Georgia’s Supreme Court is set to hear arguments next week in a key question tied to the 2024 BioLab fire in Conyers.
The case centers on whether residents exposed to a toxic chemical plume can force the company to pay for long-term medical monitoring, even if they have not shown physical symptoms yet.
The issue was sent to the state’s highest court by a federal judge overseeing the class-action lawsuit against BioLab. In September, U.S. District Judge Sarah Geraghty said Georgia law is unclear on whether exposure alone is enough to justify medical monitoring claims.
The Georgia Supreme Court has now placed the case on its April calendar, with arguments scheduled for April 21.
The underlying class action lawsuit stems from the September 2024 fire at BioLab’s Conyers facility, which sent a chemical plume across Rockdale County — forcing thousands to evacuate and led to widespread shelter-in-place orders across metro Atlanta.
While the high court considers the certified question, other parts of the lawsuit are continuing in federal court.
A ruling from the Georgia Supreme Court could have broader implications, potentially shaping how courts across the state handle environmental exposure cases moving forward.
For more on the 2024 BioLab fire and GPB’s investigation, Listen to Manufacturing Danger: The BioLab Story wherever you get your podcasts.
