A state district judge in Louisiana has cleared the way for the first civil trial brought by workers injured in a fatal 2013 plant explosion and fire at the Williams Olefins complex near Baton Rouge.
Two men were killed and 114 workers were injured in the June 13, 2013 blast at the facility located in Geismar, Louisiana. The plant was undergoing a $300 million ethylene expansion when it was rocked by a catastrophic rupture to a heat exchanger, destroying much of the facility.
Tulsa-based Williams Partners L.P. originally received a $99,000 fine from the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration as a result of the explosion. The fine was subsequently reduced to $36,000.
Multiple lawsuits in various venues were filed by several plaintiffs alleging injuries received from the deadly blast. The first case involving five plaintiffs is set for trial in Plaquemine, Louisiana on September 6 after Judge Elizabeth Engolio denied Williams’ motion for summary judgment.
The plant’s physical location in both Ascension and Iberville parishes has been an issue in determining the appropriate venue for the lawsuits. In July, a district court judge in Ascension Parish agreed to dismiss Williams from separate lawsuits brought by several plaintiffs who alleged they were injured in the blast.
Many of the lawsuits involve contractors who were employed by companies hired by Williams to work on the plant expansion. Under Louisiana’s workers’ compensation law, defense attorneys have argued Williams is immune from being sued in district court since the contractors are entitled only to workers’ compensation benefits.
The law has an exception that allows lawsuits to proceed if the alleged violation is deemed intentional by the courts.
The Iberville plaintiffs allege Williams’ plant leadership knew and was repeatedly warned that the heat exchanger was defective since it didn’t have a key pressure relief system that could have avoided over-pressurization which resulted in the explosion sparking a massive fire and fatal consequences.