Givaudan Hit with Class Action Lawsuit in the Wake of Louisville Manufacturing Plant Explosion

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Givaudan Flavors Corporation faces a proposed class action lawsuit in the wake of an explosion last month at its Louisville, Kentucky manufacturing plant.

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The 16-page lawsuit claims negligence on Givaudan’s part is to blame for the November 12 explosion, which killed two employees, destroyed a large section of the color additive factory and caused massive damage to surrounding residences and businesses.

According to officials from the Louisville Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the blast was caused by a faulty, overpressurized cooking vessel. The suit says employees had reported it overheating several days before the incident, but the cooker continued to operate.

The factory explosion, which sent “literal shockwaves throughout Louisville,” resulted in an immediate shelter-in-place order for those within a one-mile radius of the facility and an evacuation order for multiple surrounding blocks, the case shares.

As of the December 10 filing, the evacuation order remains in effect, and many residents with properties located within the designated area will never be able to return to their homes, the complaint contends.

The two plaintiffs, whose residence is located within the evacuation zone, have been forced to leave the area permanently due to the evacuation order and extensive damage to their building, the filing relays.

The pair claims they have not yet been able to find permanent housing following the incident, nor has the company compensated them for their property damage.

To make matters worse, the suit states, many of the vacant properties within the evacuation zone have been repeatedly burglarized following the blast, including the plaintiffs’ residence.

Even after being notified of this “critical security issue,” the company has yet to undertake reasonable security measures to prevent further burglaries or offer compensation to impacted individuals for damaged or stolen property, the lawsuit against Givaudan alleges.

Givaudan is no stranger to catastrophe, the case asserts. In fact, the Louisville facility suffered a similar disaster in 2003, when a cooking vessel became overpressurized and exploded, killing one employee, the complaint describes.

The filing argues that Givaudan should’ve understood the risks of such an incident given its history. Nevertheless, the company failed to properly monitor and maintain its equipment and provide adequate training to employees, the suit claims.

The lawsuit looks to represent all owner-occupants or renters of residential property within a one-mile radius of the property boundary of Givaudan’s factory as of November 12, 2024. The case also seeks to cover those within the facility explosion evacuation zone as of that date.

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