3M Cleared in Houston Explosion Trial

It was solely the negligence of Watson Grinding and Manufacturing that led to a fatal explosion at the company’s West Houston facility in January 2020, a Harris County jury determined Thursday after less than five hours of deliberation. 

Jurors unanimously cleared 3M, the only defendant that did not settle prior to trial, and three other potentially responsible parties in the trial that stretched over three weeks before Harris County District Judge Denise Brown. The plaintiffs in the case — a group of six business owners whose companies were either destroyed or disrupted by the explosion — alleged 3M’s failure to properly service a gas detection system caused the disaster.