Eight individuals who filed suit after an ammonia gas leak in November 2025 sent 74 people in Weatherford to the hospital will have to wait until January 2027 for the next step in their Custer County lawsuit.
District Judge Donna L. Dirickson wants to wait until a National Transportation Safety Board investigation is completed and continued the decision she originally made in February of this year.
PLAINTIFF APPEARS BY ATTORNEY CLAYTON BRUNER. DEFENDANT
APPEARS BY ATTORNEY PATRICK STEIN. COURT HEARS ARGUMENT FROM
COUNSEL. CASE IS STAYED FOR JUDICIAL ECONOMY AND FOR SERVICE
OF NECESSARY PARTIES. COURT SETS REVIEW AND STATUS OF THE CASE
FOR JULY 6, 2026 AT 9:00AM. EITHER PARTY MAY REQUEST TO LIFT THE
STAY UPON REMANDED TO STATE COURT OR COMPLETION OF
NTSB INVESTIGATION.
News 9 TV news recently reported attorney Clayton Bruner, the lawyer representing at least 8 persons who filed suit, learned of the delay in the case.
“We don’t know exactly when that is going to be. We hope that it’s soon,” Bruner said. “We think it’s pretty clear what happened, and we know there are obviously things that could have been done differently that would have prevented the catastrophe that happened in the City of Weatherford.”
The suit includes a long list of defendants and AirGas, the company that owned a parked truck that leaked gas from the parking lot of the Weatherford Holiday Inn Express and Suites hotel, is the lead defendant.
AIRGAS INC, Defendant
OKLAHOMA LLC, Defendant
A DOMESTIC PARTNERSHIP, Defendant
HALL, LAJUAN, Defendant
A FOREIGN CORPORATION, Defendant
STACEY INN PARTNERSHIP, Defendant
INDIVIDUALLY AND, Defendant
AND, Defendant
A FOREIGN CORPORATION, Defendant
COMPANY, Defendant
HOLIDAY HOSPITALITY FRANCHISING LLC, Defendant
A FOREIGN CORPORATION, Defendant
AIRGAS SPECIALTY PRODUCTS INC, Defendant
IHG HOTELS & RESORTS PLC, Defendant
DEVELOPMENT COMPANY OF, Defendant
AND OKLAHOMA LIMITED LIBILITY COMPANY, Defendant
CHAMPION HOTELS AND, Defendant
JOHN DOES 1-10, Defendant
A FOREIGN LIMITED LIABILITY, Defendant
Airgas originally asked for the delay in the lawsuit proceedings pending the federal investigation and in a January 2026 court filing, explained because of the NTSB probe, there was certain information it could not provide to the court.
“In addition, as noted in the Airgas Defendants’ motion to stay, the National
Transportation Safety Board is currently investigating the ammonia release, and the
Airgas Defendants are therefore currently “prohibited from releasing information
obtained during the investigation at any time prior to the NTSB’s public release of
information.” 49 C.F.R. § 831.13(c). Once that information is made available, it is likely
additional parties will be added by the plaintiffs, defendants, or both. Further, plaintiffs’
counsel has indicated they represent additional potential claimants who have not yet filed
suit, and the Airgas Defendants anticipate there may be others represented by other
counsel to follow.”
Attorneys for AirGas are:
J. Todd Woolery, ОВА #18882
Jodi C. Wetzel, OBA #22107
Patrick L. Stein, OBA #30737
Katherine M. Crowley, OBA #35094
MCAFEE & TAFT A PROFESSIONAL CORPORATION
Eighth Floor, Two Leadership Square
211 North Robinson
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73102-7103
Telephone: (405) 235-9621
Facsimile: (4050 235-0439
todd.woolery@mcafeetaft.com
jodi.wetzel@mcafeetaft.com
patrick.stein@mcafeetaft.com
katie.crowley@mcafeetaft.com
Attorneys for Defendants Airgas Specialty
Products, Inc. and Airgas, Inc.
Airgas Specialty Products, Inc. is headquartered in Lawrenceville, Georgia and is a wholly owned Subsidiary of Airgas, Inc. which is headquartered in Radnor, Pennsylvania.
The leak occurred due to a gasket failure and the lawsuit accused the defendants of negligence.
Defendants breached their duties of care, including but not limited to:
a. Failing to properly design, inspect, maintain, repair, and/or replace the valves,
gaskets, seals, hoses, and other components of the Tanker Truck and its systems;
b. Allowing the Tanker Truck to be placed into service in an unsafe or defective
condition;
c. Failing to follow recognized industry standards, internal policies, and safe practices
for the transport and temporary parking of large quantities of anhydrous ammonia;
d. Parking, directing, permitting, or failing to prevent the parking of a tanker carrying
a large quantity of anhydrous ammonia at or near a hotel and populated area,
without adequate safeguards or risk assessment;
e. Failing to adopt, implement, and enforce reasonable Hotel policies and procedures
regarding hazardous materials, including the presence of hazardous-material
vehicles on the premises;
f. Failing to timely detect, stop, and mitigate the Release once it began;
g. Failing to establish and follow adequate emergency-response and evacuation plans
at the Hotel;
h. Failing to adequately warn Plaintiffs and others in the area of the risk and presence
of anhydrous ammonia; and
i. Failing to otherwise act as reasonably prudent entities under the same or similar
circumstances.
The preliminary NTSB report was released but did not specifically cite a cause. NTSB investigations typically take 12 to 24 months to complete. When the report becomes available, it will be posted on the NTSB website.
