Oakland County jury awards nearly $77M to man who lost fingers in Kroger chemical explosion

His hands were injected with toxic R22 refrigerant, which the EPA had banned

Pipefitter journeyman and HVAC technician Brian Mierendorf, 37, was awarded over $77 million after a devastating refrigerant explosion at a Kroger in Bloomfield Township. (Copyright 2025 by WDIV ClickOnDetroit - All rights reserved.)

OAKLAND COUNTY, Mich. – Pipefitter journeyman and HVAC technician Brian Mierendorf, 37, was awarded nearly $77 million after a devastating refrigerant explosion at a Kroger in Bloomfield Township.

Attorney Jon Marko of Marko Law announced Tuesday (June 17) that an Oakland County jury rendered a record-breaking verdict against the Kroger Company of Michigan, well over $77 million on behalf of Brian and Heather Mierendorf.

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Mierendorf sustained severe chemical burns and injection injuries to his hands when a defective refrigerant exploded.

Brian, in an attempt to protect nearby customers, attempted to stop the refrigerant leak but was unable to do so.

His hands were injected with toxic R22 refrigerant, which the EPA had banned.

Brian subsequently underwent 25 surgeries, during which most of his hands were amputated.

At trial, Kroger was alleged not to have produced any maintenance, repair, or inspection records for the subject refrigeration system, despite having a legal obligation to do so, and only produced a partial incident report filled out more than two years after the incident occurred.

Federal law and local policies required Kroger to document all of those.

Local 4 reached out to Kroger for comment but did not receive a response.

“Kroger had a ticking time bomb in its store at Bloomfield Township, waiting to blow.

Unfortunately, it blew up on Brian, and he lost his hands trying to save other people in the store from toxic chemicals being sprayed out in the middle of the day in front of the meat department.

At trial, Kroger’s defense was to blame Brian for his heroic actions. The verdict sends a clear message to Kroger that Brian’s actions should be commended, and that Brian literally gave up his hands in the line of duty at the expense of himself and his family is priceless.”

Attorney Jon Marko