Lawyers who have filed 21 of the 22 negligence lawsuits filed in federal court against Norfolk Southern railroad have agreed to work together on crafting a single complaint consolidating suits.

Attorney Jayne Conroy, who filed the first class action suit just four days after the derailment, submitted a joint status report on Wednesday to U.S. District Judge Benita Pearson who ordered law firms behind the class action complaints filed in the aftermath of the February 3 incident to consolidate the complaints into one lawsuit.

In addition to combining the allegations against Norfolk Southern and requests for damages, the single complaint would also propose who the lawyers believe should be permitted to join the class action as plaintiffs.

Lawsuits filed thus far ask the court to designate a class of plaintiffs that include residents, workers, and businesses as close as one mile from the derailment to those as far as 30 miles away.

Out of the 22 complaints filed as of Wednesday, attorneys representing East Palestine's Ceramfab and two sister companies are the only plaintiffs not agreeing to join the other 21 lawsuits, believing it would not be appropriate for them, according to the status report.

The 22 suits cite numerous reasons for the derailment, including “poor” railcar placement, failed safety features, and defects in the track system.

Since many of the suits were filed, more information has come out, including a preliminary report from the National Transportation Safety Board which cites a faulty wheel bearing in a rail car that caught fire as the train approached East Palestine.

A motion has been filed asking the court to appoint attorneys, Conroy, Seth A. Katz and M. Elizabeth Graham as interim class counsel and the plaintiffs’ leadership structure.