EAST ST. LOUIS — A Moro couple is suing a gas line pipe manufacturer, claiming defective piping caused a fire to destroy their home.
Christopher Carney and Denise Carney filed a complaint Feb. 23 in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois against Omega Flex Inc., alleging strict liability and negligent failure to warn.
The Carneys own a residence located on Saint James Drive in Moro that was originally built in 1860, according to their suit. They claim that during their renovations from 2010 through 2012, the defendant's TracPipe CSST gas lines were installed in the home. They allege that on June 14, 2017, a lightning strike led to the gas line failure and caused a fire at the residence.
The Carneys claim the CSST gas lines "failed within their useful life." They also claims that prior to their home renovation, Omega learned of its TracPipe "being routinely damaged" by "direct and nearby" lightning strikes and released a new product in July of 2004 that would withstand electrical energy by 72%. The Carneys claim Omega's original pipes were "unreasonably dangerous" and that the company failed to take steps to alert customers of the pipe's defective nature. They further claim they suffered $75,000 in damages to their residence from the fire.
The Carneys seek monetary and all other just relief. They are represented by Matthew McArthur of Evans & Dixon LLC in St. Louis.
U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois East St. Louis Division case number 3:21-CV-209