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$109 Million
Largest Verdict in a Personal Injury case
in Pennsylvania history
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$100 Million
Medical Malpractice
Largest-ever compensatory verdict
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$153 Million
Then-second largest Product
Liability verdict in U.S. history
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$38.2 Million
Delaware County
Auto Accident Verdict
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$36.4 Million
Workplace Injury
Largest single-victim fatality settlement
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$51 Million
Premises Liability/
Civil Rights verdict
Read More...
- Watch Here For Kline & Specter News Alerts
- Tom Kline named No. 1 PA Super Lawyer record 10th straight year
- 14 at Kline & Specter named Super Lawyers, Specter in Top 10 again
- On TV ⇒ Kline & Specter files suit in unnecessary stent procedure case
- Suit filed in Seton Hill University bus crash
- Firm wins record $105 million settlement in power line death case
- On TV ⇒ Tom Kline comments on possible PSU victim settlements
- Tom Kline argues before appellate panel vs. cap on jury awards
- Specter, Baldwin, Guerrini $109 million verdict among U.S.Top 10
- On TV ⇒ Tom Kline comments on kidnap case
- Tom Kline named 2013 Best Philadelphia Medical Malpractice Lawyer
- Seven at Kline & Specter named "Best Lawyers in America"
- Specter sues city over captivity and torture of 10-year-old girl
- High Court refuses case, $8.75M verdict vs. Ford stands
- Kline & Specter files suit on behalf of Eagles' Jason Peters
- Kline & Specter Courtroom dedicated at Penn Law School
- Waldenberger wins $3M verdict in cancer case
- On TV ⇒The Kline & Specter Squash Center opens at Drexel University
- Kline, Caputo win $14M verdict in Pennsbury school bus accident case
- On TV ⇒ Tom Kline interviewed on Penn State case by CNN, MSNBC ...
- Kline & Specter named No. 1 Product Liability Firm in the United States
- Specter, Safier, Williams win $17.5M med-mal verdict
- On TV ⇒ Shanin Specter comments on the Ellison case, CBS3
- Guerrini wins $15M verdict in teen's death
- PA Superior Court panel upholds $8.75M Blumer verdict
- Kline & Specter wins largest-ever Erie personal injury verdict, $21.6M
- Michael Smerconish joins Kline & Specter
- On TV ⇒ Kline, Inscho, Baldwin obtain $1.8M in psychologist sex case
- Kline & Specter named among Best Law Firms in U.S.
- Trunk, Zakeosian win $11.7 million against PHA and property manager
- Kline, Specter named among nation's 500 "Leading Lawyers"
- On TV ⇒ ESPN features the Plevretes case, Shanin Specter
- Best Lawyers names Tom Kline No. 1 Phila. personal injury attorney
- See more Kline & Specter stories in the news
Gas/Oil Refinery Explosion Lawyers
Pennsylvania - New Jersey - Delaware - New York - Nationwide

Kline & Specter has litigated a number of highly publicized explosion cases involving both workplace injury and premises liability. Two major incidents resulted in fatalities and, ultimately, eight-figure monetary settlements.
One case involved a year-long investigation by the firm that included the hiring of 14 experts and review of 40,000 documents that resulted in a $36.4 million settlement for the family of a worker killed in an explosion at a Delaware oil refinery. Additionally, Motiva Enterprises later agreed to pay millions in dollars in fines. (See The Motiva Case)
In another case, Kline & Specter won a $40.5 million settlement for the estates of six people who were killed and others who were injured in an explosion and fire at an apartment complex in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. (See Village Green)
Kline & Specter, with some 30 experienced lawyers, several of whom are also doctors, and a staff exceeding 100, is prepared to quickly respond to disasters such as explosions and fires. Contact an explosion attorney for a free evaluation of a potential explosion lawsuit.
In the Motiva case, Kline & Specter attorneys conducted a lengthy investigation which uncovered what the government did not. uncovering what the government did not – the real cause of the explosion, the cause of their client’s death and negligence on the part of the company. The result was what was believed to be the largest-ever settlement for a single worker fatality in the United States.
Jeffrey Davis was killed when the July 2001 explosion, caused by a leaking tanker, catapulted his body into a giant vat of sulfuric acid. Davis was a construction worker who was repairing catwalks on tanks at the refinery in Delaware City, Del.
The settlement came in 2003 and in March 2005, Motiva also agreed to pay a $10 million fine for negligence and environmental damage that resulted from the refinery explosion, which spilled more than a million gallons of acid and petroleum products into the Delaware River. Later, in September 2005, the company agreed to pay an additional $16.2 million to settle a civil suit filed by state and federal regulators.
In the Village Green apartments case, six people died and six were injured in an explosion and fire caused when basement flooding dislodged a clothes dryer and resulted in a gas leak. The incident occurred in June 2001 following heavy rains that had caused flooding in the apartment complex several times before. Three years of investigation by Kline & Specter concluded that the explosion could have been avoided had just a few more bolts been used to properly secure the dryer gas line.
Contact an attorney today for quick action concerning a possible explosion lawsuit.
Click on the following links to learn about other Kline & Specter cases involving Premises Liability and Construction & Workplace Injuries. Also read about our Major Victories.
Kline & Specter handles cases in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York and Nationwide, working with local attorneys in states outside PA, NJ and NY.
In Pennsylvania, Kline & Specter handles cases in and around: Allentown, Altoona, Bethlehem, Chester, Doylestown, Drexel Hill, Easton, Erie, Greensburg, Harrisburg, Hazleton, Johnstown, Lancaster, Levittown, McCandless, McKeesport, Monroeville, Norristown, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Pottstown, Radnor, Reading, Scranton, State College, West Chester, Wilkes-Barre, Williamsport and York.
In New Jersey, the firm handles cases in and around: Atlantic City, Bayonne, Brick Township, Camden, Cherry Hill, Clifton, Edison, Elizabeth, Fort Lee, Jersey City, Lakewood, Millville, Newark, New Brunswick, Paterson, Pennsauken, Plainfield, Toms River, Trenton, Union, Vineland, Voorhees and Willingboro.
Gas/Oil Refinery Explosions News Updates
- News Coverage of the Motiva Enterprises Oil Refinery Explosions
- Fox News - Tom Kline offers advice to explosion victims, Fox News 12/11/06
- The Philadelphia Inquirer - Motiva to pay $16.2 million to government, 09/21/05
- Insurance Journal - Texas City Refinery Explosion May Mean Billions in Liability Claims, 03/25/05
- The Philadelphia Inquirer - Motiva is fined $10 million over explosion, 03/18/05


































