Dive Brief:

• The family of Mikeanesha Moore, including her husband and three young sons, has filed a lawsuit against Dallas-based property operator Highmark Residential and two other entities after Moore was severely burned in an explosion at Woodhill Apartments in Orlando, Florida, on March 1. Moore died of her injuries on March 10, shortly after the suit was filed. 
• Following the explosion, investigators at the site discovered an uncapped and unplugged gas line in the laundry room of the family’s apartment. The explosion started in the laundry room as a direct result of this uncapped gas line, according to the lawsuit.
• The family has requested a jury trial, and seeks damages in excess of $75,000 from Highmark Residential, Plantation, Florida-based property owner SPT WAH Woodhill and the Winter Garden, Florida-based Lake Apopka Natural Gas District gas utility, with the exact amount unknown at this time.

Dive Insight:

Moore, her husband and their sons had only lived at the property for 17 days before the explosion occurred, according to a report from local news outlet WFTV 9. 

The laundry appliances previously connected to the uncapped gas line had been disconnected and removed by a previous tenant, according to the suit. Other tenants at Woodhill Apartments had allegedly complained of gas leaks, smells and other evidence of unsafe gas lines for years before Moore and her family moved in.

The suit alleges that the property owner and manager had not properly inspected the unit for safety violations before moving new tenants in, failed to respond to the complaints by other tenants about issues with the building’s gas lines and did not notify Lake Apopka Natural Gas District about the issue. It also alleges that the Lake Apopka Natural Gas District failed to ensure the safety of the building’s gas supply or properly inspect units following complaints. 

At the time the suit was filed in the Ninth Judicial Circuit Court of Florida, plaintiffs stated that Moore had suffered third- and fourth-degree burns over 40% of her body, and would require multiple surgeries over the next several years in order to recover. 

Highmark Residential operates 366 properties across the country, many of them in the eastern United States, according to the company’s website. SPT WAH Woodhill is a limited liability company connected to Greenwich, Connecticut-based REIT Starwood Property Trust. 

Starwood and Highmark did not respond to requests for comment on the case. Lake Apopka Natural Gas District told Multifamily Dive that it had conducted an examination of its distribution system, procedures and operational practices and found no evidence that its infrastructure or operations were a factor in the accident at Woodhill Apartments on March 1.

"We are fully committed to the safety of our customers and the communities we serve, and we are working closely with local law enforcement and fire officials as they conduct their own investigation," reads the utility's statement, signed by Brent E. Haywood, general manager and CEO of Lake Apopka Natural Gas District. "We will continue to provide any necessary support and information to assist their efforts."

UPDATE: This story has been updated to include Lake Apopka Natural Gas District’s response.