Maria Lopez, et al. v. Matrix Services Inc., et al.- Products Liability- Wrongful Death, Los Angeles, CA – October 2, 2024 – DEFENSE VERDICT – 9-3. Defendant Matrix Service Inc. was represented by Jazmine Pelayo and Alexandria Hopson.
On July 11, 2019, employees of JT Thorpe& Son were inside a petroleum storage tank at a refinery in Torrance, California, when using a jackstand manufactured by Matrix Service Inc to lift the interior floating roof of the tank. The employees used a 49.1-ton rated airbag as a jacking mechanism—this created significant side and overloading on the 20-ton rated jackstand, ultimately causing the jackstand to fracture. The jackstand and its top plate were launched at a fast speed, striking the JT Thorpe employee in the head, and ultimately killing him. Plaintiffs claimed the jackstand was defectively designed and manufactured by Matrix Service Inc.
Matrix Service Inc., called expert engineer Andrew Yearwood (certified by the American Petroleum Institute) to testify regarding the forces applied to the jackstand, the cause of the incident, and the design and manufacturing of industrial equipment. Yearwood countered plaintiff expert’s methodology and highlighted deficiencies in the same. Yearwood conducted extensive testing of the jackstand, which revealed that when coupled with the use of an industrial airbag, the jackstand exhibited tipping and the top plate exhibited extreme rotation. This proved that the fracture and cause of the incident was due to the improper use of an airbag, not a design or manufacturing defect.
The jury returned a defense verdict on a 9-3 vote in the late afternoon on October 2, 2024.
Matrix Service Inc. was the only remaining defendant at trial. Plaintiffs demanded $27 Million.