Overview
- A Harris County jury awarded $61.5 million to 24 survivors in a verdict handed down Monday that allocated roughly 30% responsibility to 3M for the 2020 Watson Grinding explosion.
- Federal investigators and the U.S. Chemical Safety Board traced the blast to an overnight propylene leak that ignited when a worker switched on a light and found the gas‑detection and alarm system failed to alert workers.
- This is the third multimillion‑dollar verdict against 3M in the multidistrict litigation, following prior jury awards that together exceeded $156 million before Monday's decision.
- 3M said it disagrees with the verdict and will appeal, and plaintiffs’ lawyers note that past appeals have kept earlier jury awards unpaid and could delay any compensation for years.
- Nearly 2,000 plaintiffs remain in the MDL with another group trial set for October, a process plaintiffs’ counsel say could take years and that will continue to test contractor liability for safety‑system inspections.