Calif. Jury Reaches Defense Verdict for Contractors Excavating Underground Storage Tank

FRESNO, Calif. –– A California jury has reached a defense verdict for two contracting companies whose failure to cover an air intake vent while excavating an underground storage tank allegedly caused a worker in a nearby building to develop brain and lung injuries.

On Jan. 16, the California Superior Court for Fresno County found after two hours of deliberations that the defendants Balch Petroleum Contractors and Builders Inc. and Roebbelen Contracting Inc. were not negligent. Judge Kristi Culver Kapetan presided over the trial.

The claims were brought by Jody B. and Daryl Gutierres. The plaintiffs allege that Jody …