A recent verdict in Denver exonerating Xcel Energy Inc. of criminal charges involving five painter deaths in 2007 sets the stage for the forthcoming trial against Santa Fe Springs, Calif.-based contractor RPI Coating Inc. and RPI executives, Philippe Goutagny and James Thompson.
A federal jury on June 28 found Minneapolis-based Xcel not guilty of 10 workplace safety charges related to a deadly powerplant fire. In a rare occurrence for Occupational and Safety Health Administration violations, Xcel and local subsidiary, Public Service Co. of Colorado, had faced criminal charges carrying up to $5 million in combined fines, plus the threat of safety monitoring.