100 Lawsuits Pending Over SoCal Gas Leak

Southern California Gas Co.’s recent $4 million agreement settles the criminal case over a massive 2015 gas leak, but the utility company still faces civil suits from residents and regulators. The company pleaded no contest to one misdemeanor count of failing to notify authorities once it detected the methane leak. That leak became the largest in U.S. history, and cost SCGC more than $700 million. But SCGC faces more than 100 lawsuits representing thousands of residents, and a lawsuit filed by the California attorney general, and another from the city of Los Angeles. The criminal settlement came with a host of safety updates, including hiring six full-time employees to monitor newly installed detection systems.