PINEVILLE – An Ikes Fork woman and three minors are suing over the aftermath of a fire that was possibly accelerated by a natural gas leak.
Debra Whited filed the suit Dec. 21 individually and on behalf of four minor children, who are her granddaughters, in Wyoming Circuit Court against EQT Production Co. and Equitable Production Co., citing negligence.
According to the complaint, on Jan. 2, 2014, the plaintiff experienced a fire at her residence that resulted in substantial damage to her home. Adjacent to the property is a small enclosure housing a gas well owned by the defendants. The suit states that the well was poorly capped and, if not the source of the ignition, at the least the source of flammable gases that either precipitated or aggravated the fire.
The plaintiff alleges that the defendants were negligent in capping the well or failed in their duty to inspect the well.
As a result of the fire, Whited allegedly has lost income from an apartment located inside the home that it was being rented for $400 a month. She is seeking $9,200 for the lost income. She also seeks a judgment of $84,200 and also seeks $500,000 for post-traumatic stress disorder, mental anguish and emotional distress, annoyance and inconvenience. Finally, she seeks $1.5 million for punitive damages and other relief the court deems appropriate.
Whited is represented by David G. Thompson of Pineville. The case is assigned to Circuit Judge Warren R. McGraw.
Wyoming Circuit Court Case number 15-C-241
