JEFFERSON CITY — Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway announced that the state has resolved litigation against Liberty Utilities following a fatal gas explosion in Lexington that killed a child, injured multiple people and destroyed a home.
According to the attorney general’s office, the litigation stemmed from Liberty Utilities’ failure to properly mark a gas line before excavation work began at a Lexington job site in April 2025.
The state’s lawsuit, which was filed separately from any private legal actions brought by victims of the explosion, ended with a consent judgment requiring the company to pay a $30,000 civil penalty, the maximum penalty allowed under Missouri law for violations of the Missouri Underground Facility Safety and Damage Prevention Act.
The agreement also requires Liberty Utilities to conduct a remapping process of underground gas lines in Lexington and comply with Missouri’s underground facility safety requirements in all future operations across the state
“No enforcement action or monetary penalty can undo the heartbreak of losing a child and a home, but it can drive change,” Hanaway said in a statement released by her office. “Missourians deserve to trust that the utilities serving them will do so responsibly. My office is committed to enforcing accountability and safety improvements on behalf of ratepayers.”
The attorney general’s office said Liberty Utilities falsely informed an excavator that all gas pipelines at the Lexington work site had been properly marked before digging began.
Relying on that information, a contractor started excavation work and struck an unmarked gas main.
State officials said natural gas then leaked into the surrounding area for several hours before igniting. The explosion leveled a home, injured an entire family and resulted in the death of a minor.
Under Missouri’s Underground Facility Safety and Damage Prevention Act, utility companies are required to respond to locate requests and accurately mark underground facilities within two working days.
The attorney general’s office said Liberty Utilities did dispatch a locator to the site, but the markings provided were inaccurate because of a mapping error involving the company’s underground infrastructure.
The state subsequently filed suit seeking accountability for the violations.
The consent judgment filed in the Circuit Court of Lafayette County requires Liberty Utilities to verify and remap all underground facilities the company owns or operates in Lexington.
The agreement also mandates future compliance with the Missouri Underground Facility Safety and Damage Prevention Act for all activities conducted by the utility in Missouri.
The attorney general’s office noted the importance of Missouri’s 811 system, which requires excavators to notify Missouri 811 by dialing 8-1-1 before beginning digging or excavation projects.
The system is intended to help identify underground utility lines and prevent accidents involving buried infrastructure.
