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ConAgra Found Liable in Fatal Blast

A Douglas County jury Friday found the Omaha, Nebraska-based food company was negligent in the Slim Jim plant explosion that killed four people.

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Wikimedia

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — ConAgra Foods has been found liable for $108.9 million in a civil lawsuit stemming from a fatal 2009 plant explosion in North Carolina.

The Omaha World Herald reports a Douglas County jury Friday found the Omaha, Nebraska-based food company was negligent in the Slim Jim plant explosion that killed four people.

The explosion happened during a water heater installation. Jacobs Engineering, the California-based company that was contracted to perform services at the plant, paid $108 million to settle lawsuits with affected parties.

But Jacobs Engineering later sued ConAgra to recover the money, arguing it had no role in the explosion. Jurors found Jacobs Engineering not responsible.

A ConAgra spokesman says they have multiple grounds for appeal.