In a major victory for client Missouri Gas Energy (MGE), a Jackson County, Mo. jury delivered a complete defense verdict in a $30 million furnace explosion case filed against MGE. The plaintiff, a heating repairman, sued MGE for injuries he received while working on the furnace at a ThyssenKrupp assembly plant in Grandview, Missouri. Prior to the explosion, MGE had investigated complaints about an outdoor odor of gas at the plant but detected no problem. The repairman alleged that the explosion could have been prevented if MGE had conducted an interior probe as well. However, the AT team produced evidence showing there was no gas leak in the furnace and instead, the plaintiff had misdiagnosed the problem and caused the explosion when he lifted a sight glass that led to an eruption of flames. The repairman, who was severely burned and claimed that he developed Parkinson’s Disease due to head trauma and carbon monoxide poisoning, sought punitive damages in addition to the $30 million in actual and loss of consortium claims. The jury handed up its verdict on Oct. 31 after a two week trial.

The case was tried by Kansas City Partners Karrie Clinkinbeard and Lynn Hursh. They were assisted by Paralegal Amber Arbuckle and Partners Casey Housley and Jerry King.

The case was recognized by Missouri Lawyers Weekly as the #1 verdict in the state in 2014. Read more.