Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani secured a complete defense verdict on behalf of a longtime client following seven years of litigation in Milwaukee, Wisconsin state court arising from a catastrophic explosion involving a compressed natural gas (CNG) vehicle at a CNG fueling site owned and operated by the City of Milwaukee.
The plaintiff, a 45-year-old man, alleged severe and permanent injuries, including the loss of both legs and significant psychiatric harm.
The client manufactured, sold, and maintained the CNG fueling equipment at the site, including the dispenser fueling the vehicle at the time of the event. The plaintiff asserted multiple theories of liability, sounding in negligence and violations of Wisconsin’s Safe Place Statute. The allegations included failures to provide certain NFPA-mandated warnings required under Wisconsin law regarding tank end-of-life dates and mandatory three-year inspections; to advise the City of Milwaukee (the fueling site’s owner) that CNG dispensing allegedly required a trained fueling attendant rather than public self-service; and that a dispenser malfunction itself caused tank over-pressurization and the explosion. The court admitted subsequent remedial measures evidence under the Wisconsin Safe Place statute, including evidence that the dispenser was replaced after the incident with a later version of the NFPA warning at issue. Moreover, under Wisconsin law, the client’s insurer was a separately named and separately represented party in the trial.
Throughout the case, the GRSM team executed a coordinated, multi-year strategy involving extensive discovery, expert development, and pretrial motion practice, with attorneys and staff from Hartford, Chicago, and Wisconsin contributing. John Robinson was lead trial counsel, Kelcie Reid served as second chair, and Steve Zakrzewski prepared witnesses and argued critical motions. Carolyn Barry, the paralegal on the case from inception, provided seamless continuity and case management support over the seven-year litigation.
Following a full trial, the jury returned a defense verdict on all claims, delivering a decisive result for the client. The outcome underscores GRSM’s trial depth, collaborative culture, and ability to leverage its 50-state platform to defend complex, high-exposure matters nationwide.