Judge affirms KBR electrocution lawsuit can proceed

A federal judge has denied an appeal reuqest by Kellog, Brown & Root to appeal over a lawsuit which accuses the company of negligent homocide in the electrocution death of a U.S. soldier.
“KBR filed a motion with U.S. District Judge Nora Barry Fischer asking her to amend a March order that will allow the case to move forward; the order prevented an appeal during the course of the case,” reported the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “The contractor wanted her to change that order to allow it to appeal her decision on a motion for dismissal to the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.”
“[A]n Army criminal investigator says the manner of death for Staff Sgt. Ryan Maseth, 24, has been changed from accidental to negligent homicide because the contractor failed to ensure that ‘qualified electricians and plumbers’ worked on the barracks where Maseth died,” reported the Associated Press in January.
“Maseth, 24, of Shaler, Pa., outside Pittsburgh, was electrocuted on Jan. 2 when an improperly grounded electric water pump short-circuited and flowed through the pipes,” reported ABC in March 2008. “Since the coiled hose was touching his arm, he was hit with an electrical jolt and went into cardiac arrest and died.” LinkHere