Explosion at apartment building leads to lawsuit against Peoples Gas, others

A Cook County woman is suing a utility company and three others over claims she was injured in an explosion at her apartment building.

Michelle Frazier filed a lawsuit Jan. 7 in Cook County Circuit Court against Peoples Gas Light & Coke Company, along with building owners Klaus Kohl, Iuna Capital and Martin Nussbaumer, alleging that a natural gas line at her building in the 5800 Block of South Calumet Avenue was improperly installed, connected and inspected.

According to the complaint, Frazier was a third-floor tenant in the building on Nov. 23, 2014, when construction was being done on a ground-floor patio apartment and a buildup of gas caused an explosion. The incident damaged Frazier’s residence and caused her injuries, the suit states.

Frazier seeks damages and is represented by attorney Daniel M. Kotin of Tomasik Kotin Kasserman in Chicago.

This is a report on a civil lawsuit filed in Cook County Circuit Court. The details in this report come from an original complaint filed by a plaintiff. Please note, a complaint represents an accusation by a private individual, not the government. It is not an indication of guilt and represents only one side of the story.