By AP/KWMU
St. Louis, MO – The Missouri Supreme Court said Tuesday a lawsuit by residents in Herculaneum can be heard in St. Louis.
The class-action lawsuit claims a lead-smelter owned by the Doe-Run company damaged residents' property.
The suit was filed in St. Louis because that's where the company's financial officer, Marvin Kaiser, lives. Doe Run argued Kaiser was named a defendant solely because the plaintiffs wanted to file in St. Louis.
The Missouri Court of Appeals had ordered the case to be moved, but Tuesday's ruling overturns that order.
Voting in the majority were all four judges appointed by Democratic governors. In the minority were the Republican-appointed judges.
Legislative Republicans want to overhaul the state's legal system with tighter restrictions on where lawsuits can be filed. Democrats generally oppose the changes.