JAY, Maine — Pixelle Specialty Solutions, which owns the Jay paper mill that was the site of an explosion last year, has filed a lawsuit against a company that was responsible for inspection and maintenance.
One of the facility’s pulp digesters ruptured and fell on the second digester in April 2020. Both were destroyed.
The mill then shut down a paper machine and doesn’t plan to rebuild its pulp mill.
According to the Lewiston Sun Journal, the mill’s owner, Pixelle Specialty Solutions, is suing Florida-based Trico Mechanical Contractors Inc.
Pixelle spokesperson Roxie Lassetter issued a statement to NEWS CENTER Maine on Tuesday, saying, "Pixelle has settled its insurance claim relating to the digester rupture and relating property damage with its insurance carrier. This litigation seeks to recover damages from the contractors responsible for inspecting and providing maintenance on the digesters in the years preceding the rupture. As with any pending litigation, Pixelle will not have further comment."
A person who answered the phone at Trico on Tuesday said no one was available to comment on the lawsuit.