Survivors of 2014 Mpls. explosion sue Centerpoint, landlord
Survivors of a 2014 Minneapolis apartment explosion filed suit Thursday against Centerpoint Energy and the building's owner.
The cause of the New Year's Day explosion in Cedar Riverside was not determined, but the lawsuit says residents smelled gas beforehand.
Attorney Aaron Eken represents some of the victims and their families.
"Overall, this was a really neglected building both from the servicing and providing of the natural gas to the upkeep of the building itself," he said. "It's only a combination of those factors that led to the magnitude of the destruction we saw when this building exploded."
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Three people were killed and 14 were injured.
Centerpoint declined to comment.
The suit names 12 plaintiffs who either survived the explosion or represent the next-of-kin for survivors who have died since 2014. Each seeks $50,000 in damages.
The suit says Centerpoint "did not adequately warn" residents on the risks of gas before the explosion, and notes past issues involving the building's management.
It also says the building didn't have valves installed that could've stopped an explosive amount of natural gas from leaking.