The state Supreme Court has reinstated a Montgomery County defense verdict in the cases of four test "bellwether" plaintiffs suing a handful of defendants for alleged property damage to their homes and illnesses after thousands of gallons of gasoline were released due to a gasoline leak at a local gas station.
The court on a 5-1 vote determined that the Superior Court incorrectly reversed the trial court and improperly speculated about what could have happened had the Montgomery County Court of Common Pleas not severed off the bellwether plaintiffs, ordered a reverse-bifurcated trial and barred the mentioning of any of the 41 plaintiffs who were not part of the trial.
