Lillian Hayden v. Atochem North America, Inc.

PATRICK E. HIGGINBOTHAM, Circuit Judge:

This appeal arises from the settlement of a class action. The defendant paid substantial sums for res judicata protection from the claims of persons assertedly injured by the toxic emissions of an industrial plant near Bryan, Texas. The monies were allocated among three subclasses, one of which was to receive medical monitoring. Upon the monitoring program’s completion, substantial sums remained unused. The district court denied the settlement administrator’s request to distribute the unused medical-monitoring funds to another subclass of persons…