US court holds US energy firm liable for deadly 2010 pipeline blast
US energy giant Pacific Gas and Electric Company found guilty on six criminal counts, following the explosion of one of its pipelines
Washington: A federal jury has found US energy giant Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) guilty on six criminal counts, following the deadly explosion of one of its pipelines. The court imposed a fine of up to $500,000 (Dh1.83 million) for each count in the case, which means the company may have to pay up to $3 million.
The September 2010 blast killed eight people and destroyed dozens of homes in San Francisco, making it one of the deadliest disasters ever involving an American utility company. The jury on Tuesday found PG&E guilty of six of 12 charges it faced in the case, including obstruction of justice and violation of the federal Natural Gas Pipeline Safety Act. The verdict followed a nearly six-week-long trial in San Francisco.
