PARRIS Law Firm: California Appeals Court Sides with Victims in Porter Ranch Gas Leak Case, Orders Hearing to Review Damages for SoCalGas' Three-Day Delay

LOS ANGELES, July 10, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The California Second District Court of Appeal unanimously ruled that victims harmed by SoCalGas' three-day delay in reporting the Porter Ranch gas leak are entitled to receive criminal restitution. The case goes back to the trial court where victims will have an opportunity to present evidence of damages suffered because of SoCalGas' delay in reporting the blowout. Acting Presiding Justice, Elizabeth A. Grimes issued the ruling earlier today; no date has been set as to when the case will be heard before the trial court.

"SoCalGas pleaded no contest to failing to report the gas leak. It is only right that victims receive restitution to the crime SoCalGas is guilty of committing," said attorney R. Rex Parris of PARRIS Law Firm. "This is a very important victory for our clients as it allows them to present their losses to the trial court," said attorney Brian Panish of Panish Shea & Boyle LLP.

The Court ruled "there was enough confusion about the scope of the sentencing hearing to warrant a new hearing on the issue of restitution only for damages occasioned by the three-day delay in reporting the leak."

The decision also stated "because the scope of the restitution hearing was not settled in advance, we believe it fair (and within the spirit of Marsy's Law) to remand for a further hearing to determine what, if any, damages were caused only by the three-day delay in reporting the leak to the proper authorities."

This Appellate Court ruling comes on the heels of last week's, July 3 decision to set a trial date for the first wave of civil lawsuits against Sempra and SoCalGas. The trial date for civil lawsuits is set for June 24, 2020.

A copy of the ruling can be found here.

About PARRIS Law Firm

PARRIS Law Firm, a Los Angeles County-based business, has devoted the past 34 years to helping families who have been victims of catastrophic injuries because of someone else's careless actions. PARRIS Law Firm has secured numerous multi-million dollar victories, including a record-breaking defamation jury verdict in Los Angeles for $370 million, a $135 million wage-and-hour class action settlement, a $57 million verdict for brothers involved in a head-on collision with a big-rig truck, a $42 million verdict for a man who was severely injured in a horrific T-bone collision, and a $13 million settlement against electric car manufacturer, Tesla. Widely recognized as one of America's top Personal Injury, Employment, and Environmental law firms, PARRIS Law Firm has the proven track record necessary to help families in need. www.parrislawyers.com

About Panish Shea & Boyle LLP

Panish Shea & Boyle LLP represents plaintiffs in wrongful death, catastrophic personal injury, product liability, mass torts, and business litigation cases. Firm attorneys serve in leadership roles in some of the largest personal injury cases against utility companies in the state including Southern California Edison (SCE), Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E), and Southern California Gas Company (SoCalGas), and dedicate themselves to obtaining justice for clients who are dealing with a life-altering injury, death of a family member or other challenges caused by the wrongful act of another. The firm is consistently ranked among the best plaintiff's law firms in the country, including by U.S. News & World Report, where it's recognized as a Tier One law firm in the areas of Plaintiffs Personal Injury Litigation, Plaintiffs Product Liability Litigation, and Mass Tort Litigation/Class Actions as well as by the National Law Journal which named the firm in its Elite Trial Lawyers list. psblaw.com.

About the Law Firm of Morgan & Morgan

The largest contingency law firm in the United States, Morgan & Morgan has recovered more than $5 billion for 200,000 clients. The firm has more than 400 attorneys across 50 offices in 13 states. With the support of 2,000 employees, Morgan & Morgan's attorneys represent clients in a wide range of practice areas: national mass torts and class actions, personal injury, workers' compensation, medical malpractice, labor and employment, mesothelioma, and product liability lawsuits, among others.

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