EAST PALESTINE, Ohio - In June, 21 News reported that settlement payments for people affected by the 2023 train derailment in East Palestine had been put on hold. Almost three months later, many residents still have not received any compensation from the settlement.

One resident, Alan Cohen expressed his frustration with the lack of communication and transparency from those in charge of the settlement.

"We have heard nothing from the lawyers. We have no idea when we're going to get the money. They have given us no payment dates whatsoever," Cohen said. 

Initially, Kroll Settlement Administration managed the settlement. However, in June, a judge removed them from the case due to miscalculated payments.

Since then, Epiq has been overseeing the settlement process, but skepticism about its commitment to the affected individuals has been increasing.

"So far, they've actually been worse. The truth is, we at least received some payments when Kroll was handling it. Now we're not receiving any money at all, so the situation has worsened. We've gone from slow pay to no pay," Cohen said. 

On September 22, residents plan to hold a public meeting with the Keenan Law Firm to discuss potential next steps.

"We're investigating whether there is a viable lawsuit against Kroll for this long delay. The money was promised a year ago," managing partner for Keenan Law Firm, Mindy Bish, said. 

The meeting on September 22 is open to the community. It starts at 6 p.m. at the Best Western Plus Dutch Haus Inn and Suites in Columbiana.