YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – The city has filed a lawsuit stemming from the May 28, 2024, Realty Tower explosion, citing negligence by the gas company, the building’s owners and managers and a contractor.
The complaint, filed Wednesday in Mahoning County Common Pleas Court, seeks unspecified damages. It lists as defendants East Ohio Gas Co., Enbridge Inc., Enbridge (U.S.) Gas Distribution LLC, Enbridge Elephant Holdings, Enbridge Alternative Fuel, CT Corp. System, Enbridge Pipelines, Enbridge Genoa U.S. Holdings, Enbridge (U.S.) Inc., Enbridge EOG Holdings II Corp., Enbridge EOG Holdings, Dominion Energy Inc., Dominion Energy Questar Corp., YO Properties 47, LY Property Management and GreenHeart Companies.
“The explosion was caused, either jointly or separately, by the negligent ownership, maintenance, documentation, inspection, abandonment, pressurization, control, monitoring, operation, and/or recordkeeping of a natural gas service line associated with the Defendants named herein,” the lawsuit says.
YO Properties owned Realty; LY Property Management managed the building; and Greenheart was working in the building at the time of the explosion and was also part owner of the building.
Akil Drake, an employee of the Chase Bank branch on Realty’s first floor, died in the blast. Several others were injured, and residents of the building were displaced. Surrounding businesses were damaged and closed following the explosion, and residents of International Towers, located next to Realty, were evacuated due to safety concerns. They lived elsewhere for several weeks.
The historic Realty was razed later that summer.
Last August, the National Transportation Safety Board found that a cut by a scrap removal crew into an active Enbridge natural gas service line that was incorrectly documented as inactive was the probable cause of the explosion.
The scrap removal crew was employed by GreenHeart. It was contracted by the city to relocate utility lines.
“The Defendants failed to properly deactivate and secure the gas line; maintain accurate utility records; inspect and verify inactive lines; warn contractors and governmental entities; implement proper safety procedures; comply with industry standards; prevent uncontrolled gas release; and/or adequately supervise natural gas infrastructure,” the city’s lawsuit says.
It also contends the city incurred damages as a result of defendants’ conduct. It lists as damages destruction of public and private property, interruption of municipal operations, emergency response expenditures, infrastructure damage, economic harm and public nuisance conditions.
Pictured at top: Damage is seen to Realty Tower after the May 28, 2024, explosion.