BOZEMAN – Two more lawsuits have been filed against NorthWestern Energy after a natural-gas explosion last year that killed one woman and took out half a city block.
Shirley Cleary, an artist whose paintings were on consignment at a gallery that was destroyed in the March 5, 2009, blast, filed a lawsuit Wednesday seeking $8,745 in compensation for her lost artwork. The gallery’s manager, Tara Reistad Bowman, was killed in the explosion.
Another lawsuit was filed by Farmers Union Mutual Insurance Company on March 9. The company wants to recoup $46,775 it paid out to individuals and businesses for property damaged in the fire that followed the explosion.
Both suits claim NorthWestern failed to replace substandard natural gas lines that cracked and leaked, causing the explosion. NorthWestern has said the gas leak was caused by naturally occurring events such as frost heaves.