High court upholds $109 million judgment against ConAgra for North Carolina factory explosion

LINCOLN — The Nebraska Supreme Court has upheld a nearly $109 million jury verdict against ConAgra Foods for a 2009 fatal explosion at a North Carolina factory.

The high court unanimously affirmed what is believed to be a record civil judgment in Nebraska following a monthlong trial in 2016. The lawsuit stemmed from a gas explosion that killed three ConAgra employees and a contractor while injuring more than 60 at a Slim Jim plant owned by the company in Garner, North Carolina.

The case was litigated in Douglas County District Court because at the time of the explosion, the Fortune 500 company based its headquarters in Omaha. It has since relocated to Chicago and now goes by Conagra Brands.

“The evidence showed that ConAgra breached the standard of care in the planning and execution of its water heater project,” Supreme Court Judge Jeffrey Funke wrote in the court’s opinion. The explosion ultimately occurred “because of a series of errors committed by ConAgra.”

Read more: https://www.omaha.com/money/high-court-upholds-million-judgment-against-conagra-for-north-carolina/article_b6e25bb7-ec60-56cb-b9ff-40b92031ebd1.html