Every company needs to be held liable if they cause harm or danger to an individual. In the case of Southern California Gas Co., this is exactly what needs to be done.
Prosecutors from the Los Angeles County filed a criminal misdemeanor charge against the company on Tuesday. The charge is with regards to the ongoing leak at Porter Ranch. According to the District Attorney's Office, SoCalGas is being charged with the suit since they allegedly failed to report the leak immediately. The leak was apparently caused by a problem in a deep underground well at the company's Aliso Canyon facility.
SoCalGas is currently facing three counts of failing to notify authorities of its release of hazardous materials between Oct. 23 to 26, 2015, as well as one count of discharging air contaminants, which started on Oct. 23, 2015 until today.
Responding to these charges, the company confirmed that they should be held responsible for the criminal actions. But according to them, the civil lawsuits or criminal charges will not be able to provide the residents of the county a complete solution.The company assured the public that they were already aware of the lawsuit and reviewing it. At the same time, they are working hand in hand with regulatory agencies to mitigate the odors that have been found to be caused by the natural gas leak. They are also trying to abate the gas leak as soon as safety is permitted.
Meanwhile, the company also faces a wrongful death lawsuit brought about by the death of Zelda Rothman; a resident near Porter Ranch. Rothman died on January 25 after having been diagnosed with lung cancer in spring 2015. According to her family, the gas leak had caused her health to make a turn for the worse. Before she died, she needed to be supplied oxygen on a 24-hour basis. The family knows that the gas leak did not cause Rothman's cancer, but it did cause her health to deteriorate and destroy her quality of life.
The company is a subsidiary of Sempra Energy, a company based in San Diego. If convicted of the misdemeanor charges filed against them, they could be facing a fine up to $25,000 for every day that it failed to report the leak to the California Office of Emergency Services. Additionally, they could be fined up to $1,000 per day for the air pollution violations associated with the leak. An arraignment has been scheduled at the Santa Clarita courthouse for Feb. 17.
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