Family members believe the Richmond toxic fire caused their relative’s death

RICHMOND, Indiana — The family of a Preble County woman who died earlier this year claims her death was caused by adverse health issues caused by the large industrial fire in Richmond.

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The family lawyers of Linda Hardin claim they can seek more than $2 million as the fire allegedly resulted in her death.

Court documents were filed on Friday, September 1 and they include letters written by family members on Saturday, July 12.

The documents are not part of a lawsuit; however, they are a filing by lawyers of an intent to seek civil penalties.

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The law firm Dyer, Garofalo, Mann and Schultz addressed the letter to the City of Richmond, Mayor Dave Snow, Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita’s office, Governor Eric Holcomb, and the state’s Risk Management Division.

The document demands the state’s statutory limit of $700,000 for each person, which totals in $2.1 million, the court documents said.

The letter cites the financial claims under Indiana’s state law.

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The fire broke out at the plastics storage facility in Richmond and toxic smoke was sent into the community on April 11.

The letter claims that the city, which had acquired two-thirds of the property, knew it was a fire hazard and failed to remediate it.

“The city is aware of a tort claims notice filed on behalf of Linda Hardin and certain of her relatives. The City is not aware of any lawsuit being filed on behalf of Linda Hardin at this time. Per City policy, it cannot comment on pending litigation, but notes that multiple parties have filed claims relating to the April 2023 fire,” City Attorney AJ Sickmann said.

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This is a developing story, and we will update this page as we learn more information.

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