PRENTER — At least some of the families involved in a lawsuit against two area coal companies regarding water quality have settled their suits.

According to documents filed in Boone County Circuit Court last week, some of the families who filed suit against Patriot Coal and Massey Energy subsidiaries have reached monetary agreements.

The plaintiffs who appear to have settled are as yet unknown, but appear to be juveniles who claimed to have been harmed.

Former Judge Jerry W. Cook was the mediator for both parties and worked for several months helping them reach an agreement.

The suits are part of nearly 100 families and individuals who filed claims alleging that actions by the companies, such as improperly

performed demolitions ruined numerous private water wells, causing the water therein to become tainted, and dangerous to drink.

Attorneys charged that the unfit to drink water supplies contributed to illnesses among the residents such as various cancers and birth defects. They also alleged that numerous deaths in those communities could be traced to the tainted water.

At press time it was unclear which, or how many families had consented to settle with the companies.

A legal expert also speculated that the dollar value of the settled lawsuits were unlikely to ever be disclosed to the public.