BEAUMONT - Ferguson Law Firm partner Jane S. Leger led a team that secured a 53.3-million-dollar verdict in New Mexico for the families of three oil field workers killed in a fiery explosion.
The case, tried in San Miguel County, New Mexico, came to an end when the verdict was announced last week. Trying this case with Leger from the Ferguson Law Firm was attorney Cullen McDonald, a press release states.
“I recognize that this accident was a great tragedy and our clients’ losses immeasurable,” Leger said. “I do take comfort that we obtained a very good result for very good people.”
Leger had already secured substantial settlements from the companies in charge of the well site (Ferguson Law’s Jane Leger initiates racketeering charges to secure $33M settlement). She then turned her attention to the safety training company. That company was required to train the employees on site the day the tragedy occurred but, sadly, that was something the safety training company did not do, the press release states.
“As I was reviewing employee files, I noticed employees were given grades of 100 percent on true/false tests where they had answered both true and false to the same question,” Leger said. “I knew then something was not right.”
It wasn’t and Leger’s investigation and discovery then revealed the safety company was rubber stamping passing grades for employees who had not mastered even the most basic safety information, the press release states.
“It was a disaster waiting to happen,” Leger commented, “and the disaster happened to our clients.”
Faced with an approaching jury trial, the company admitted fault, leaving only the damages to be determined. The result was the $53.3 million verdict, the press release states.
Leger stated: “Nothing can return these loved ones to their families, but this judgment sends a message to all involved in the oilfield that safety must be taken seriously. Our families can take heart in that we have made the oilfield a safer place to work.”
Jane S. Leger is an ownership partner with The Ferguson Law Firm, LLP and has amassed a formidable record in recoveries for victims of industrial accidents. She has obtained a $66 million award for families burned in an Indiana steel mill, $40 million for a man injured in a Georgia industrial accident and $18.5 million for a Lufkin, Texas explosion that was recognized as the largest verdict that year in a workplace safety case.
The Ferguson Law Firm, LLP continues its mission at its principal office in Beaumont, Texas to provide the best result every time for every client.