PARRIS Law Firm: SoCalGas Negligence Found to be Cause for Porter Ranch Gas Leak, Study Shows

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May 17, 2019, 21:17 ET

PORTER RANCH, Calif., May 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) and the Department of Conservation's Division of Oil, Gas, and Geothermal Resources (DOGGR) have released a "root-cause analysis" today finding Southern California Gas Co. (SoCalGas) failed to properly monitor and maintain the Aliso Canyon gas storage facility for more than 40 years. This failure ultimately led to the worst gas leak in U.S. history and exposed Porter Ranch, surrounding neighborhoods and their residents to more than 100,000 tons of methane gas.

Among its findings, The Blade Energy Partners study discovered:

There were more than 60 casing leaks at Aliso Canyon before October of 2015 going back over forty years. SoCalGas failed to investigate any of the earlier leaks.
Water corrosion of the casing used in well SS25 was the main cause of the blowout on October 23, 2015.
SoCalGas performed zero risk assessment focused on the well's integrity.

"This study shows that SoCal Gas knew about leaks at Aliso Canyon for more than 40 years, but instead of fixing the problem they sat back and let it happen over and over again," said PARRIS Law Firm attorney R. Rex Parris. "SoCalGas' long history of showing a complete disregard not only for the safety of the communities near the defective Aliso Canyon wells, but also for the adverse short and long term impacts on the health of its customers, is shameful," Panish Shea & Boyle attorney Brian Panish added. "For decades, the utility had full knowledge that the safety of its pipelines had been jeopardized and yet failed to take any steps to prevent the 2015 Porter Ranch Gas Well Blowout or warn the public of the likelihood of a catastrophic event even occurring."

The law firms representing the families, residents and homeowners impacted by the Porter Ranch Gas Well Blowout issue the following statement:

"These findings confirm what we knew all along: SoCalGas failed in its basic responsibilities, SoCalGas failed to warn the public, and SoCalGas failed the people at every turn. Tens-of-thousands of individuals were impacted and suffered as a result of the Aliso Canyon catastrophe – they've suffered with their health, endured months of displacement from their homes during the holidays, and experienced property loss. The future impact to these communities remains unclear. Questions remain as to the exact chemical nature of the additives in the gas, and with the wells so close to fresh water there is no telling the exact nature of the environmental impact here. One thing is clear – if SoCalGas had simply done its most basic job, this catastrophe would have been avoided."

Video - CPUC and DOGGR: Root Cause Analysis for Aliso Canyon Leak Finalized (May 17, 2019): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z3D1DvqBcgU&feature=youtu.be

About PARRIS Law Firm

PARRIS Law Firm, a Los Angeles County-based business, has devoted the past 34 years to helping families who have been victims of catastrophic injuries as a result of someone else's careless actions. PARRIS Law Firm has secured numerous multi-million dollar victories, including a record-breaking defamation jury verdict in Los Angeles for $370 million, a $135 million wage-and-hour class action settlement, a $57 million verdict for brothers involved in a head-on collision with a big-rig truck, a $42 million verdict for a man who was severely injured in a horrific T-bone collision, and a $13 million settlement against electric car manufacturer, Tesla. Widely recognized as one of America's top Personal Injury, Employment, and Environmental law firms, PARRIS Law Firm has the proven track record necessary to help families in need. www.parrislawyers.com

About Panish Shea & Boyle LLP

Panish Shea & Boyle LLP represents plaintiffs in wrongful death, catastrophic personal injury, product liability, mass torts, and business litigation cases. Firm attorneys serve in leadership roles in some of the largest personal injury cases against utility companies in the state including Southern California Edison (SCE), Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E), and Southern California Gas Company (SoCalGas), and dedicate themselves to obtaining justice for clients who are dealing with a life-altering injury, death of a family member or other challenges caused by the wrongful act of another. The firm is consistently ranked among the best plaintiff's law firms in the country, including by U.S. News & World Report, where it's recognized as a Tier One law firm in the areas of Plaintiffs Personal Injury Litigation, Plaintiffs Product Liability Litigation, and Mass Tort Litigation/Class Actions as well as by the National Law Journal which named the firm in its Elite Trial Lawyers list. psblaw.com

About the Law Firm of Morgan & Morgan

Morgan & Morgan is one of the largest exclusively plaintiffs' law firms in the US, with 25 offices throughout Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, Tennessee, Kentucky, Pennsylvania and New York. The firm handles cases nationally and has been a leader in cases such as the BP Oil spill and Chinese Drywall litigation. We have over 300 lawyers with years of experience involving personal injury, medical malpractice, consumer class action, and securities fraud--as well as complex litigation against drug and medical device manufacturers. For more information, visit www.forthepeople.com

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SOURCE PARRIS Law Firm