In February 2014, Noel Halpin obtained summary judgment for a plumbing company in a case involving a gas explosion at a residence in Jefferson County.  The Plaintiffs were inside their home in the early morning hours when it exploded, causing them to flee as the walls collapsed around them.  The proof showed that the cause of the gas leak was damage to a copper water pipe that, over time, caused water to propel against a gas pipe thereby causing a leak.  The gas leak ignited and caused an explosion.  The plumbing company was the plumbing subcontractor for the homebuilder seven years prior to the explosion.  The proof established that the plumbing company performed no work in or around the area of the utility companies’ service lines, and that excavation work years later was the likely cause of the damage to the water pipe.  The Court granted the plumbing company’s motion for summary judgment and the case against it was dismissed.