State worker sues SoCalGas over leak exposure

The program manger of the state's utilities commission is suing SocalGas Company in connection with the 2015 Porter Ranch gas leak, claiming he contracted a rare form of blood cancer as a result of exposure to dangerous levels of hazardous chemicals.

The lawsuit, filed Monday by Kenneth Bruno against SoCalGas' parent company Sempra Energy, is the latest addition to a collection of long-running litigation now entering its fourth year.

There was a $119.5 million settlement last August between SoCalGas and state and local agencies over the utility's role in the leak. Nearly 40,000 plaintiffs in over 400 cases remain. Most are individuals claiming damages.

Defense counsel from Morgan Lewis & Bockius LLP did not respond to requests for comment Tuesday.

"We are saddened by today's news and wish Ken and his family all the best during this difficult time," Chris Gilbride, a SoCalGas spokesperson, said in statement. "However, based on the news release it appears that the attorneys for Mr. Bruno have intentionally and irresponsibly misstated the facts with respect to air quality and public health. As the plaintiffs' attorneys know, thousands of air, soil and dust samples were tested during the leak and for months afterwards by multiple public health agencies. All the data collected and analyzed by public health officials have shown that there was and is no long-term risk to public health or safety from the gas leak."

The suit claims Bruno was exposed to dangerously high levels of cancer-causing chemicals when he was deployed to the Aliso Canyon Natural Gas Storage facility to inspect whether Sempra properly plugged well SS-25, which was the source of the blowout on Oct. 23, 2015. Southern California Gas Leak Cases, JCCP 4861 (L.A. Super. Ct. filed Feb. 2, 2016).

The utility invited Bruno "to the zone of danger. It's beyond the pale in so many ways; it's horrendous, and I cannot for the life of me understand why they'd have workers out there without equipping them at least with respirators," R. Rex Parris of the Parris Law Firm, who is representing Bruno, said in an interview Tuesday.

Sempra and SoCalGas told government agencies for years there were no public health concerns from the gas leak, according to the complaint.

Prior to the inspection, the utility advised Bruno to wear "appropriate footwear and hard hat" but did not advise him to wear a respirator, protective equipment and clothing to avoid exposure, the suit claims.

-- Gina Kim