Ford settles lawsuit by residents of northern NJ town over toxic waste dumping

Attorney: Ford settles NJ toxic waste lawsuit

NEWARK, N.J. — The Ford Motor Co. has settled a lawsuit filed by residents of a northern New Jersey town over toxic waste dumped there in the 1960s and ’70s.

The settlement was announced in state Superior Court on Thursday. Details were not released, but The Record of Bergen County reports that residents of Ringwood in northeastern New Jersey will receive about $10 million.

Thousands of tons of paint sludge and other toxic material from Ford’s old Mahwah factory were dumped in Ringwood, and residents sued in 2006 claiming that the waste led to illnesses ranging from skin rashes to cancer, and threatened the Wanaque Reservoir.

An attorney for Ford says that under terms of the settlement the company denies liability in the case.