Wrongful Death Case Arising from Aliso Canyon Gas Leak

The family of Zelda Rothman filed a complaint today against Southern California Gas Company for the wrongful death of long time Porter Ranch resident Zelda Rothman.  Zelda Rothman was a 79-year-old woman suffering from lung cancer who lived less than three miles from the leaking well.  The complaint alleges that the leaking gas infiltrated Ms. Rothman’s home and surroundings, exacerbating and disrupting her already fragile health.  The gas replaced precious oxygen in the air that she breathed, causing her to suffer from difficult and labored breathing.  As a result, she required the use of an oxygen tank twenty-four hours a day.  The gas, and carcinogens within the gas, also weakened Ms. Rothman and caused intense headaches and migraines, among other symptoms.  The gas leak deteriorated her health and ultimately hastened her death.  “Southern California Gas Company’s decision to operate its inherently dangerous gas storage operation next to 30,000 residents of Porter Ranch without taking all reasonable steps necessary to prevent catastrophic gas leaks is unconscionable,” explained Pasadena trial lawyer Scott Glovsky, the lawyer for Ms. Rothman and her children.  “Its decision has not only damaged the health and property values of thousands of Porter Ranch residents, it has hastened the death of Zelda Rothman.”

Download a copy of the complaint here.