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In 2011, a San Gabriel man went to light up a cigarette in his home which set off an explosion due to an open natural gas valve. As a result, the man suffered second and third degree burns over his body and brain damage which will likely cause the early onset of dementia in his 50’s. In June of 2014, a jury entered a verdict of $19,876,818 for the man’s injuries. The natural gas company, Southern California Gas Co., was found to be responsible for nearly $18.1 million of those damages. Prior to trial, the gas company admitted liability because an employee opened a natural gas valve that activated a gas line running to the area where the injured man lived. The gas company made no settlement offers during the case and, following an appeal, the verdict was recently upheld by a California appeals court.

Read the article at Pasadena Star News.