Why was the case filed in Delaware, in the United States?
In 2004 the Dominican Republic sued AES in Virginia federal court for the act of illegal dumping. That case has been settled under seal. This Complaint was filed in Delaware for two reasons: First, the AES companies named as defendants are registered in the United States in Delaware; Second, there is no mechanism for seeking economic justice for the plaintiffs in Dominican courts. This case, if successful, will compensate the victims and, equally as important, establish a broad regimen of medical monitoring for the plaintiffs to help identify early and treat serious disease, including cancers that can appear years after initial exposure to the toxic coal ash.
