A home damaged by an explosion stands on Jefferson Street in Lawrence, Massachusetts. Photo: 2018 Bloomberg Finance LP

Morgan & Morgan has filed the first lawsuit over damages caused by dozens of gas explosions that rocked Massachusetts last week.

The law firm filed the class action on Tuesday in Essex County Superior Court in Massachusetts on behalf of residents of the Merrimack Valley region, including the 8,600 forced to evacuate after gas line operator Columbia Gas of Massachusetts shut off their pipes. The explosions, which occurred on Sept. 13 in the towns of Andover, North Andover and Lawrence, killed one teenager and injured more than 20 others.

The lawsuit was filed by a Lawrence resident who was unable to get her dog from her home and spent the night on a stranger's floor on the evening of the gas explosions. It seeks compensation for lost property value and income, relocation costs and other monetary damages, as well as injunctive relief and punitive damages.

“Our goal is to ensure residents in these three towns have access to justice and that the company is held accountable,” said Morgan & Morgan partner Frank Petosa during a conference call with reporters on Tuesday. “What we're seeking to do is to hold both companies accountable for what happened and ensure the members of the class have access to justice and compensation for any losses they've suffered.”

Petosa, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, filed the suit along with his colleagues Rene Rocha in New Orleans and Tyler Church in Boston.

Ken Stammen, a spokesman for NiSource Inc., which owns Columbia Gas, wouldn't comment on  the litigation, though he noted that the company is “fully committed to responding to the needs of people who are suffering because of this  incident.” Columbia Gas previously has said it plans to replace 48 miles of cast iron and bare steel in its distribution lines with modern plastic pipes as part of a program in collaboration with the governor's office.

“This unprecedented event requires unprecedented action,” said NiSource CEO Joe Hamrock in a statement on Sunday. “We lost the trust of this community and are 100 percent committed to restoring safety, confidence and peace of mind for everyone in this community. Over time, we hope to earn back the trust we lost during this incident.”

Columbia Gas also has set up a property claims process to help pay for “evacuation expenses, food spoilage, child care costs, etc.”

Two other law firms, New York's Bragar Eagel & Squire and Los Angeles-based Glancy Prongay & Murray, are investigating potential lawsuits on behalf of shareholders of NiSource, whose stock fell on the day of the gas explosions.

The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the cause of the explosions. According to a letter sent on Monday to Columbia Gas officials from legislators including U.S. Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Edward Markey, both Democrats in Massachusetts, the pressure was 12 times higher than it should have been in the pipes.

The lawsuit brings claims of strict liability for ultra-hazardous activities and negligence, alleging that the gas distribution system was “poorly maintained, antiquated, obsolete, and highly dangerous.” It lists prior incidences involving Columbia Gas. The Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities, for instance, has fined Columbia Gas $100,000 for improper maintenance issues over several years, and, in 2012, a gas line in Springfield caused an explosion that injured 21 people. Months later, a gas line operated by another NiSource subsidiary exploded in Sissonville, West Virginia.

“This is a shock to people in the area, but it is not a surprise to Columbia Gas Co.,” Robert Kennedy Jr., a partner in Morgan & Morgan's New York office, told reporters on Tuesday. “I've been involved in litigation against Columbia all over the country.”

In the conference call, Petosa told reporters that Morgan & Morgan would be conducting its own investigation to provide “another voice” to the NTSB and other government authorities. The firm's lawyers plan to be in Lawrence on Thursday for a town hall session with public officials, Kennedy said.

The lawsuit does not seek compensation for injuries, property damages or losses to businesses, all of which could be part of future individual lawsuits, Petosa said. Lawyers said their suit sought to provide more adequate relief than a compensation fund announced on Tuesday by Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker that includes a $10 million contribution from Columbia Gas.

Kennedy said that the government, and not just Columbia Gas, was at fault in this case. He also noted that Morgan & Morgan was involved in lawsuits over the Deepwater Horizon oil spill litigation and the gas leak cases in California, both of which had similar compensation programs.

“We found there was a collaboration, a disturbing collaboration, between the regulated industry and the regulators who were supposed to protect the public,” he said.