Orange County residents file a collective lawsuit against GKN Aerospace Transparency Systems Inc., GKN Aerospace Services Ltd., and Melrose Industries PLC in the Orange County Superior Court on May 26. The leakage incidents related to these companies resulted in approximately 50,000 residents being evacuated.
On May 21, a chemical tank with about 7,000 gallons at the GKN facility located at 12122 West Street in Garden Grove overheated and began releasing steam. The safety mechanisms of the tank, including pressure relief valves, failed, triggering a crisis of potential explosion or leakage of toxic Methyl Methacrylate (MMA). Residents from Garden Grove, Stanton, Anaheim, Cypress, Buena Park, and Westminster were affected. The evacuation order wasn’t fully lifted until the evening of the 26th, and investigations by the Orange County District Attorney’s Office have commenced.
Caleb Marker, a partner at Zimmerman Reed, the law firm representing the plaintiffs, emphasized the significance of holding accountable those responsible for failing to prevent the crisis and for inadequately managing dangerous chemicals that led to nearby households bearing the consequences.
The collective lawsuit is expected to cover all evacuated individuals and their properties up to May 22. Four resident plaintiffs living within approximately 1.5 miles from the tank stated in the complaint that they were forced to leave their homes without time to gather necessities, incurring costs for emergency accommodation, food, and essential items amid soaring prices, all while awaiting uncertain return times. Marker mentioned that the repercussions of the incident are ongoing, with many residents losing their sense of security at home, which won’t automatically resume with the lifting of the evacuation order.
The lawsuit alleges multiple instances of regulatory violations by the GKN plant at the site. In January 2025, GKN reached a settlement agreement with the South Coast Air Quality Management District, paying around $910,000 for violations related to permits, record-keeping, and emissions regulations. The regulatory agency issued another notice in March this year. In 2018, the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) fined the plant for non-compliance in inspections and maintenance.
The lawsuit seeks compensatory damages, injunctive relief, and punitive damages, citing seven causes including negligence, premises liability, private nuisance, public nuisance, trespass, strict liability for ultrahazardous activities, and violation of California Unfair Competition Law.
Zimmerman Reed also represents disaster victims from the 2021 Los Angeles Palisades Fire and Eaton Fire, as well as survivors of the 2018 Camp Fire in California. Over the past two decades, the firm has handled cases nationwide involving chemical leaks, large-scale evacuations, environmental pollution, and disaster impacts on families, individuals, property owners, communities, and local authorities.
The plaintiff alliance, including Orange County’s Steel Eisner Law Firm, has also taken legal action against the three companies mentioned above. On the 27th, the Steel Eisner firm, on behalf of plaintiffs Marian Li, Trieu Hai Nguyen, Holly Hang Nguyen, and Jeremiah Schouweiler, filed a lawsuit.
Shawn Steel, a partner at the law firm, highlighted the responsibility of large corporations to safely manage highly hazardous chemicals in residential areas, emphasizing that the forced displacement of nearby families for days was not an inevitable accident. The handling of volatile substances like MMA comes with a significant duty to protect surrounding residents, a responsibility that was not fulfilled in this incident, resulting in harm to individuals.
The lawsuit is based on five grounds, including negligence, trespass, private nuisance, public nuisance, and strict liability for abnormal ultrahazardous activities. The compensation sought comprises losses from unusable homes, evacuation-related expenses, mental anguish, fear and anxiety, property devaluation, stigma damages, potential cleanup and restoration costs, along with other categories of damages. The complaint also outlines punitive damages, alleging deliberate disregard for community safety in handling the event.
The law firm urges affected residents and businesses to promptly contact them.