CPS Energy Hit with $109.5M Verdict in Residential Explosion Trial

CPS Energy was hit with what would have been a $109.5 million verdict Monday by a panel of jurors in San Antonio who found the company was solely responsible for a 2021 residential gas leak in a southeast side neighborhood that caused an explosion and seriously injured two people.

The jury rendered its 10-2 verdict in favor of the Rymerses about three weeks after trial began, but a cap on damages the parties agreed to in advance will limit the family’s recovery to $60 million. Robert Rymers is permanently disabled as a result of his injuries and suffered extensive burns. His mother, Virginia Rymers, was burned and also suffered an air embolism — where air bubbles get into the bloodstream and disrupt blood flow — as a result of the blast, jurors were told.