Oakland County Jury Awards Kroger HVAC Technician $76.7 Million After Refrigerant Line Cost Him Both Hands

On February 1, 2022, Brian Mierendorf was servicing the refrigeration system at a Kroger supermarket in Bloomfield Township, Michigan. He was 37, a pipefitter and licensed HVAC technician. While he worked, a refrigerant line began spraying R-22, a toxic coolant the EPA had phased out of production, into the store. There was no shutoff valve within reach to stop it. As Mierendorf tried to cap the line, the internal pressure was too high and the refrigerant forced its way out. His hand froze to the metal while he fought to close the leak.

The R-22 burned and injected into both of his hands. Over the next three years he went through more than two dozen surgeries. The tissue could not be saved, and surgeons amputated most of the fingers on both hands. According to his attorneys, Mierendorf stayed at the line to keep the spray away from nearby shoppers. The injuries left him permanently disabled.

Mierendorf and his wife, Heather, hired Marko Law in Detroit. Jonathan Marko tried the case with John Eads and Tyler Joseph in Oakland County Circuit Court. The plaintiffs argued that Kroger had failed to maintain the refrigeration system and could not produce the maintenance, repair, and inspection records that federal law and the company's own policies required it to keep. They also showed that Kroger handed over only a partial incident report, and did so more than two years after the explosion.

"Kroger had a ticking time bomb in its store," Marko told reporters. "Unfortunately, it blew up on Brian, and he lost his hands trying to save other people."

On June 17, 2025, after a trial in Oakland County, the jury found Kroger solely liable and returned a total verdict of $76.7 million. More than $63 million went to Brian Mierendorf for his medical bills, lost earnings, and pain and suffering. More than $13 million went to Heather Mierendorf for loss of consortium. Reporters and the plaintiffs' lawyers described it as among the largest personal-injury verdicts in Michigan.

Kroger has appealed in the case. As of this writing the verdict has not been reduced or overturned.