ConAgra is liable for more than $100 million in damages stemming from a 2009 explosion at a North Carolina plant, a Nebraska jury determined late last week.
The explosion, which killed four and injured many others at the Slim Jim processing plant, originally drew lawsuits against ConAgra contractor Jacobs Engineering.
Jacobs paid about $108 million to settle those lawsuits, then sued ConAgra and argued it was not responsible for the disaster.
The Omaha World-Herald reported that the Douglas County jury largely agreed. Jurors found ConAgra 70 percent at fault and said that the company controlled the actions of its contractor and is liable for the entire $108.9 million.
The award appeared to be the largest its kind in Nebraska history. ConAgra responded that it plans to appeal on "several strong grounds."
The food giant, hammered by consumers' shift away from packaged foods in recent years, last year announced plans to lay off hundreds and move its headquarters from Omaha to Chicago after nearly a century in Nebraska.
