Limetree Bay Refinery Settlement

The Limetree Bay Refinery Settlement is a combined $59,795,000 non-reversionary fund resolving seven separate agreements over the chemical and gas releases during the failed 2021 restart of the refinery on St. Croix — the Incidents of February 4, April 23, May 5 and May 12, 2021. Read the geography before anything else: the class covers only the Affected Geographic Area, the western portion of the island of St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands, bounded by 64.74 degrees West Longitude and the sea. That is not all of St. Croix, not St. Thomas or St. John, and not the mainland. You are in the class if you owned or rented property there on or after February 3, 2021, or if you lived, worked, ran a business or were simply present there between February 3 and May 26, 2021. One more gate: the Notice says the Claim Form is only for class members who suffered harm from the releases, and that someone not claiming harm should not fill one out. There is no per-person dollar figure and no flat-cash alternative. This is a single path: the Settlement Administrator awards points under a published Settlement Payment Grid for the categories you document — property damage including cistern contamination, nuisance, trespass, economic losses, physical and emotional health manifestations and non-reimbursed out-of-pocket expenses — then pays each class member a pro rata share sized against everyone else's points, so your payment shrinks as more people file. Two caps to understand: the $59,795,000 is a gross fund, and attorneys' fees of up to one-third plus costs, administration costs and service awards up to $5,000 per class representative all come out of it before anyone is paid; and the fund covers only the Settling Defendants — the Notice says Plaintiffs will keep litigating against the remaining defendants, whose claims are not released. Filing needs real paperwork: documentation for every loss claimed, plus the Unique ID and PIN from the mailed Notice to file online, or documentary proof of identification on paper. The claim deadline is November 3, 2026, which the Notice calls strict, and the deadlines to opt out or object are both October 27, 2026. File at LimetreeBaySettlement.com. The Settling Defendants deny the allegations and deny any wrongdoing or liability, and the Court has not decided who is right.

Do I Qualify?

You may be eligible if:

• GEOGRAPHY FIRST — your connection must be to the Affected Geographic Area, which the Notice defines as the western portion of the island of St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands, bounded by 64.74 degrees West Longitude and the sea. Anywhere east of that line is outside the class, as is the rest of the U.S. Virgin Islands and the mainland. The Settlement Map on the official website shows the boundary and the zones the Claim Form asks about
• PATH A — you owned or rented property, real and/or personal, in the Affected Geographic Area on or after February 3, 2021. Note there is no end date on this one: ownership or a rental on or after February 3, 2021 puts you in
• PATH B — you resided in, worked in, owned or operated a business in, or were present in the Affected Geographic Area at any time from February 3, 2021 through May 26, 2021. Simply being present during that window is enough for class membership
• ALSO INCLUDED — retained clients of the law firms comprising Class Counsel, before the Settlement Agreements were executed, who assert or could assert claims arising out of the release Incidents
• BUT CLASS MEMBERSHIP IS NOT A PAYABLE CLAIM — the Notice states the Claim Form is solely for class members who suffered harm because of the Incidents from February to May 2021, and that if you do not claim to have suffered harm you should not fill one out. Harm means the categories on the Payment Grid: property damage including cistern contamination, nuisance, trespass, economic losses, physical and emotional health manifestations, and non-reimbursed out-of-pocket expenses
• AND YOU MUST DOCUMENT IT — lost wages and business losses need tax forms or similar financial records showing the decline after the Incidents compared with before; each out-of-pocket expense needs a receipt, invoice, credit card statement, medical record, insurance record or returned check; treated health effects need the medical records plus a Lien Disclosure Form
• YOU ARE OUT IF YOU OPT OUT — anyone who mails a signed, personally signed request for exclusion postmarked by October 27, 2026 receives no Settlement Payment. Requests for exclusion cannot be made on a group or class basis
• WHAT THIS DOES NOT COVER — these are settlements with the Settling Defendants only (the ArcLight entities with Limetree Bay Holdings, Limetree Bay Preferred Holdings and Freepoint Commodities; Pinnacle Services; Universal Plant Services (VI); Excel Construction and Maintenance VI; Versa Integrity Group; Elite Turnaround Specialists; and EIG Global Energy Partners with Limetree Bay Ventures and Limetree Bay Energy). Claims against the remaining, non-settling defendants are not released and that litigation continues
• YOU FILE A VALID CLAIM FORM BY NOVEMBER 3, 2026 — the Notice calls it a strict deadline

This is a documentation settlement, not a sign-and-send one. Two separate things are being asked of you, and both matter. 1. Identity or notice credentials. The claim instructions on the official settlement website say filing online requires the Unique ID and PIN printed on the first page of the mailed Notice of Settlement. A class member filing on paper without them must instead submit documentary proof of identification — the Claim Form names a driver's license, lease, mortgage, utility bill, credit card statement, deed, pay stub, insurance bill or a court document listing the address. If the Notice never reached you, the paper route with proof of ID is the way in, and the Settlement Administrator can be reached at 1-888-859-9973 or through the Contact Us form on the site. 2. Evidence for every loss you claim. This is what actually drives your points, and therefore your payment. Lost wages and business losses need tax forms or similar financial records showing the decline after the Incidents compared with before. Out-of-pocket expenses — bottled water, travel to get water, cistern cleaning, unreimbursed medical costs — each need a receipt, invoice, credit card statement, medical record, insurance record or returned check. Health effects you sought treatment for call for the related medical records plus a Lien Disclosure Form, because a health insurer that paid for that care may assert a medical lien against your Settlement Payment. Health effects with no medical visit are described on the Claim Form instead, with no records attached. Practical warnings from the filing instructions: each upload must be under 20 MB in an accepted format; the online Claim Form is not saved partway through, so have everything ready before you start; unrelated transactions and all but the first and last four digits of an account number may be redacted; and nothing you submit is returned. If something is missing, the Notice says the Settlement Administrator sends a deficiency letter giving you 21 days to respond and cure, with one opportunity to cure. A Claim Form that conclusively establishes the claim is not eligible under the Settlement Agreements is denied outright. The Claim Form is signed under penalty of perjury.

What Happened?

In 2021 Plaintiffs filed four class action lawsuits alleging that the failed restart of the Limetree Bay Refinery on St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands caused the emission, release and discharge — on multiple occasions — of hazardous and toxic chemicals, substances, gases and odors, from February 2021 until the refinery was forced to shut down in May 2021. The Notice identifies the release Incidents as February 4, April 23, May 5 and May 12, 2021. The first suit was filed May 19, 2021, immediately after the Incidents. Plaintiffs allege the releases caused significant injuries to affected residents of St. Croix, including property damage, nuisance, trespass, economic losses, physical and emotional health manifestations, and non-reimbursed out-of-pocket expenses. Many St. Croix homes depend on water cisterns, and cistern contamination is one of the categories the Settlement Payment Grid weighs.

Plaintiffs filed a Consolidated Amended Class Action Complaint on March 5, 2024 and amended it again on August 4, 2025. After an extensive mediation overseen by a Court-appointed mediator, Plaintiffs reached seven separate agreements with the group the Notice calls the Settling Defendants: (1) the ArcLight Capital Partners entities together with Limetree Bay Holdings, Limetree Bay Preferred Holdings and Freepoint Commodities; (2) Pinnacle Services; (3) Universal Plant Services (VI); (4) Excel Construction and Maintenance VI; (5) Versa Integrity Group; (6) Elite Turnaround Specialists; and (7) EIG Global Energy Partners together with Limetree Bay Ventures and Limetree Bay Energy. Together they agreed to pay a non-reversionary $59,795,000 Gross Settlement Fund. The Settling Defendants deny the allegations, deny any wrongdoing or liability, and say they settled to avoid the risk, burden and expense of continued litigation. No court has found that any of them did anything unlawful.

Crucially, these agreements do not end the case. The Notice states that Plaintiffs have not settled their claims against all remaining Defendants in the Litigation and will continue to litigate against the Defendants who are not parties to the Settlement Agreements, and that the settlements do not release claims against them. Staying in this settlement does not give up anything against a non-settling defendant.

The case is In re Limetree Bay Refinery Litigation, Case No. 1:21-cv-00253, in the United States District Court of the Virgin Islands, before Judge Mark A. Kearney. Epiq Class Action & Claims Solutions is the Settlement Administrator, reachable at Limetree Bay Settlement Administrator, P.O. Box 2420, Portland, OR 97208-2420 and toll-free at 1-888-859-9973. The Court has granted preliminary approval; the claim deadline is November 3, 2026; the opt-out and objection deadlines are both October 27, 2026; and the Final Approval Hearing is set for December 14, 2026 at 9:30 a.m. AST at the Almeric L. Christian Federal Building and Courthouse, 3013 Estate Golden Rock, Suite 219, St. Croix. The Court has not granted final approval and no payment date has been announced.

How to File Your Claim

1. File online through the official settlement website, www.LimetreeBaySettlement.com, which hosts the electronic Claim Form in a HIPAA-compliant portal along with the Notice, the Settlement Agreements, the Settlement Map and the Settlement Payment Grid
2. the site is also available in Spanish
3. Prefer paper? Download the Claim Form from the same website, complete it by hand, and either upload it through the HIPAA-compliant portal or mail it to Limetree Bay Settlement Administrator, P.O. Box 2420, Portland, OR 97208-2420
4. Have your credentials ready — the claim instructions say the online form opens with the Unique ID and PIN printed on the mailed Notice of Settlement, and a class member filing on paper without them submits documentary proof of identification instead (a driver's license, lease, mortgage, utility bill, credit card statement, deed, pay stub, insurance bill or a court document listing the address)
5. Gather every supporting document BEFORE you start — the claim instructions say the online Claim Form is not saved partway through, and each upload must be under 20 MB in an accepted format
6. Complete all four parts of the Claim Form: claimant information, the damages claimed, your payment election, and the certification, which is signed under penalty of perjury
7. List every affected property on the form. Points accumulate per property, but only one owner claim and one renter claim may be made for any single property, and fractional owners and renters recover pro rata
8. Claiming health effects you were treated for? Attach the related medical records and a Lien Disclosure Form — a health insurer that paid for that care may assert a medical lien against your payment. Health effects with no medical visit are described on the form, with no records attached
9. Elect a single payment method — check by standard mail, Venmo, Zelle or ACH. The Notice says the election is made on the Claim Form or through the settlement website
10. SUBMIT BY NOVEMBER 3, 2026 — the Notice calls this a strict deadline and says only Claim Forms submitted by that date are valid and timely. You may submit more than one Claim Form before the deadline, but cannot recover twice for the same item of damage or harm
11. An adult family member may submit one Claim Form on behalf of their spouse and minor children, listing them on the form. Adult children and other adults in the household file their own
12. IMPORTANT SPLIT DEADLINE: the deadlines to opt out and to object are BOTH October 27, 2026 — a week before the claim deadline, and much sooner. Both must be postmarked to the Settlement Administrator at PO Box 2420, Portland, OR 97208-2420, and both must carry your personal, handwritten signature
13. Objecting costs you nothing — the Notice confirms a class member who objects may still file a Claim Form and receive a Settlement Payment. Opting out does forfeit the payment entirely
14. Keep your mailing address current with the Settlement Administrator. The Notice warns that a class member who fails to do so may not receive a Settlement Payment they are owed
15. Questions? Call the Settlement Administrator toll-free at 1-888-859-9973 or use the Contact Us form on the settlement website
16. Visit the official claim form: https://www.limetreebaysettlement.com/

How Much Will I Actually Get?

THERE IS NO PER-PERSON DOLLAR FIGURE IN THIS SETTLEMENT, AND THAT IS BY DESIGN. The Notice says the Settlement Administrator calculates Settlement Payments using a pro rata point system. Points are awarded under a Settlement Payment Grid published on the official settlement website, weighing the categories a claimant documents: property damage (including contamination of water cisterns), nuisance, trespass, economic losses, physical and emotional health manifestations, and non-reimbursed out-of-pocket expenses. The Administrator tallies the points for every eligible class member and calculates each payment against the total points awarded to everyone. Your share therefore goes DOWN as more people file, and no one can quote you a number in advance. THIS IS NOT AN EITHER-OR SETTLEMENT. There is no flat-cash tier to take instead of a documented claim, and no menu of payment options. There is one path: file, document what you can, and receive a pro rata share sized by your points. Within that single path the categories do stack — a claimant who documents cistern contamination, lost wages and unreimbursed medical costs accrues points for each — and points accumulate per property, though only one owner claim and one renter claim may be made for any single property. THE $59,795,000 IS A GROSS FUND, AND CLASS PAYMENTS COME OUT OF WHAT IS LEFT. Under the Notice the same fund pays (a) all Settlement Payments to class members, (b) all settlement administration fees and costs approved by the Court, (c) Class Counsel's attorneys' fees, which they may request up to one-third (33%) of the Gross Settlement Fund plus costs, and (d) service awards up to $5,000 for each Settlement Class Representative. Every one of those is subject to Court approval, but none of them is paid separately by the defendants — so the money actually divided among claimants is materially less than $59.8 million. THE FUND CAPS ONLY PART OF THE CASE. The $59,795,000 is the combined total of seven separate settlements with the Settling Defendants only. The Notice states plainly that Plaintiffs have not settled with the remaining Defendants and will continue to litigate against them, and that these settlements do not release claims against those non-settling Defendants. A future recovery from them, if any, would be separate money — and nothing about it is resolved or guaranteed here. The fund is non-reversionary: the Notice states that if the settlements are finally approved, none of this money will ever be returned to the Settling Defendants under any circumstance. TIMING: nothing is paid until the Effective Date. The Final Approval Hearing is set for December 14, 2026 at 9:30 a.m. AST before Judge Mark A. Kearney in St. Croix, and the Notice warns the date, time and format may change without further notice. After the Effective Date the Administrator has 120 days to issue payments. Checks stay valid for 180 days; 90 days after the later of that period or the conclusion of the Litigation, uncashed funds go to a cy pres recipient approved by the Court.

Documented losses may receive higher compensation.

Last reviewed: September 17, 2026 | Information verified from court records and official settlement documents.

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