People get reputations from acomplishing certain feats, and if the achievement is unusual or extraordinary, the reputation merits a nickname. Wendell Gauthier, a 34 -year-old attorney — who is now widely a conversation topic within lawyer circles — is being referred to as Jefferson's "Mr. Gas Explosion."
With a nickname like that, he sounds like a dangerous character, but actually he's friendly and good-natured, and now somewhat famous. His achievements in detailing the how and why of residential gas explosions, representing explosion victims and instigating procedural changes within the gas company — has gained him this fame, all in the last few years.
Gauthier has done the legal work on six of the seven explosions in Jefferson since 1974, and has, so far, settled five of those cases. In the first suit, nearly $1 million was awarded to his client by a trial jury — the rest were settled out of court.
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