The parties in a wrongful death lawsuit filed following an explosion at the Woodhill Apartments in Orlando, Florida, have reached an undisclosed settlement, according to court documents. The plaintiff voluntarily dismissed the lawsuit on Jan. 6.
On March 1, 2024, Mikeanesha Moore was severely burned in an explosion in her unit. Investigators discovered an uncapped and unplugged gas line in the apartment’s laundry room. Other residents of the 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.
Moore’s husband filed a lawsuit on behalf of himself, Moore and their three minor children on March 8 against the property’s owner, manager and gas utility, alleging that the uncapped gas line led to the explosion and Moore’s injuries. Moore died two days after the complaint was filed, and the lawsuit was amended on April 2 with a wrongful death claim, according to court documents.
In the initial complaint, the plaintiff requested a jury trial and damages exceeding $75,000 from Dallas-based property operator Highmark Residential, Florida-based property owner SPT WAH Woodhill — a limited liability company connected to Greenwich, Connecticut-based REIT Starwood Property Trust — and the Winter Garden, Florida-based Lake Apopka Natural Gas District gas utility.
The suit alleged 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.
Following a mediation, the plaintiff received two settlements in undisclosed amounts, one approved on July 15 and the other on Oct. 17, according to court documents. The first settlement is structured to be paid to the children in annual installments, managed by a guardian ad litem.
On Sept. 24, following the first settlement, the plaintiff dismissed Highmark Residential and SPT WAH Woodhill from the case with prejudice, according to court documents. Lake Apopka Natural Gas District remained a party at the time of the second settlement.
Starwood, Highmark and Lake Apopka Natural Gas District did not respond to requests for comment on the case’s resolution. In March, 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.
