Residents Seek Accountability After Hazardous Chemical Tank Failure Forced Orange County Evacuations
GARDEN GROVE, Calif. — May 27, 2026 — DiCello Levitt LLP, Miner, Barnhill & Galland, P.C., and Collins Law Group, P.C. have filed a class action lawsuit against GKN Aerospace Transparency Systems, Inc. alleging that the company’s negligence and failure to safely maintain hazardous chemical storage tanks at its Garden Grove facility caused a toxic chemical emergency that forced tens of thousands of Orange County residents to evacuate their homes.
Filed in the Superior Court of the State of California, County of Orange, the lawsuit arises from the hazardous chemical emergency at GKN’s manufacturing plant at 12122 Western Avenue in Garden Grove, where tanks containing methyl methacrylate, or MMA, allegedly overheated and posed the risk of a toxic release or catastrophic explosion. MMA is a volatile, reactive, and flammable chemical used to make plastic and alleged in the complaint to be harmful to human health when inhaled.
According to the complaint, evacuation orders affected approximately 50,000 residents across Garden Grove and nearby communities, including Cypress, Stanton, Anaheim, Buena Park, and Westminster. At least 25 local schools were closed, roads were shut down, and families were forced to leave their homes while emergency crews worked to stabilize the chemical tank.
“This case is about accountability for a preventable event that disrupted entire communities and put families in harm’s way,” said Dan Flynn, Chair of DiCello Levitt’s Environmental Litigation Practice Group. “Companies that store and use dangerous chemicals in residential communities have a fundamental obligation to inspect, maintain, and operate their facilities safely. When they fail to do so, and families are forced from their homes while facing the risk of toxic exposure or explosion, those companies must be held responsible.”
The lawsuit is brought on behalf of California citizens who own or lease real property within the evacuation zone established by public officials in Orange County—south of Ball Road, east of Valley View Street, west of Dale Street, and north of Trask Avenue. The action seeks compensation for property-related and economic losses, including loss of use and enjoyment of homes and property, relocation and shelter costs, transportation, food and child-care expenses, business interruption, lost income and profits, diminution in property value, and related damages.
The complaint alleges that GKN knew or should have known that an uncontrolled increase in temperature inside its MMA storage tanks could create a serious risk of chemical release, fire, explosion, and mandatory evacuation. Plaintiffs allege GKN failed to take sufficient precautions to prevent the hazardous chemical emergency and failed to maintain, inspect, test, repair, monitor, secure, or implement adequate safety controls on the MMA tanks.
The lawsuit asserts claims for negligence, private nuisance, and public nuisance, and seeks compensatory damages, punitive damages, injunctive relief, attorneys’ fees and costs, and other relief available under the law.
The case is Courtney Carey, Robert Carey, Jody Carey, and Christopher Carey v. GKN Aerospace Transparency Systems, Inc., filed in the Superior Court of the State of California, County of Orange. A copy of the complaint is available here.
The DiCello Levitt team on the matter includes Adam Levitt, Dan Flynn, Steve Jodlowski, Anna Claire Skinner, Kelsey Anderson, Elizabeth Carpenter, and James Crisafulli.
About DiCello Levitt
DiCello Levitt LLP is one of the leading plaintiffs’ law firms in the United States. Nationally recognized for our work in high-stakes class actions, mass torts, and complex litigation, we have recovered more than $25 billion for clients, including individuals, businesses, and communities. We take on some of the world’s most powerful interests, pursuing justice that reshapes industries and improves lives.
Built for trial, DiCello Levitt is among the few plaintiffs’ firms with a dedicated trial center, where our acclaimed trial lawyers bring both art and science to courtroom preparation and trial strategy. We are frequently appointed to lead major multidistrict litigation (MDLs) and consistently recognized among the nation’s top plaintiffs’ firms by Chambers USA, Benchmark Litigation, and The National Law Journal, which has named DiCello Levitt Plaintiffs’ Firm of the Year and Trial Strategy Innovation Firm of the Year.
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