A quartet of Motiva Enterprises employees are claiming they were negligently exposed to sulfuric acid while working at the local plant.
Earnest Chapman , Jay Jackson, Jamie Perrault and Kenneth Chambless filed suit against Motiva with the Jefferson County District Court on Sept. 28 through Reaud, Morgan & Quinn attorney John Werner.
According to the plaintiffs' original petition, the four employees were performing work at the Motiva refinery on Jan. 27, 2007, when they were exposed to sulfuric acid.
The suit does not state the type of work the plaintiffs were performing or how they were exposed. The suit only says, "As a proximate cause of said exposure, Plaintiffs suffered,
However, the suit does list the following acts of alleged negligence:
* The Defendant was negligent in failing to provide the Plaintiffs with a safe place to work;
* The Defendant was negligent in failing to coordinate the work so that it would be performed in a safe manner;
* The Defendant was negligent in failing to enforce their own safety programs and regulations;
* The Defendant was negligent in failing to inspect the worksite to make sure that it was safe;
* The Defendant was negligent in failing to properly train their employees;
* The Defendant was negligent in failing to remedy the condition on the premises that caused the Plaintiffs' injuries.
* The Defendant was negligent in failing to provide adequate warning signs and/or barriers warning Plaintiffs of the existence of the unsafe worksite;
* The Defendant was negligent in failing to exercise reasonable care to inspect the premises;
* The Defendant was negligent in failing to exercise reasonable care in order to discover the dangerous conditions that existed;
* The Defendant was negligent in failing to properly maintain its premises;
* The Defendant was negligent in failing to remedy the dangerous condition that existed; and
* Other acts of negligence as yet unspecified.
."Earnest Chapman, Jay Jackson, Jamie Perrault and Kenneth Chambless suffered serious personal injuries to their body generally as a direct and proximate result of the Defendant's negligence," the suit said.
"To the extent supported by the evidence, they sue for lost earnings, loss of earning capacity in the future, pain and suffering in the past, pain and suffering in the future, medical expenses in the past, medical expenses that, in reasonable probability, will be incurred in the future as a result of this accident, physical impairment, physical disfigurement, and for loss of ability to enjoy life. Plaintiffs therefore sue Defendant for an amount in excess of the jurisdictional limits of this Court. Plaintiffs further sue for all prejudgment interest and postjudgment interest as allowed by law."
Motiva recently announced upcoming expansions will make it the largest refinery in the U.S.
The plaintiffs are requesting a trial by jury.
Judge Gary Sanderson, 60th Judicial District, will preside over the case.
Case No. B180-430