From Rob Kwok:
In my 33+ years of law practice this explosion hits closest to home. Literally, 5 miles from home. We woke up to the sonic boom that set off our house alarm on January 24, 2020 at 4:23am. My phone started ringing around 7am and hasn't stopped ringing since. Many close friends from Church and school live near the Watson facility. Some of my kids' classmates had homes destroyed. In fact, our lead Plaintiffs have 4 kids in school with our 4 kids. We're honored to serve their family during this explosion that destroyed their home. We were grateful to help them win their lawsuit against their homeowners insurance company so they could find a replacement home. And as promised, we handled all first party lawsuits for free, so our clients could use all their insurance money to rebuild their homes.
From the beginning I promised to handle your first party lawsuits without charge so you could use your insurance money to rebuild your homes. We handled 85+ first party lawsuits and have sucessfully won every single one. We also did not take any fees on your honmeowners claims, leaving nearly $4mm in your neighborhoods from Westbranch to historic Carverdale, to rebuild damaged homes, as promised.
A bit about me, I'm board certified in personal injury trial law, and have represented people my entire career. I am AV rated, peer review/judicial review rated - the highest possible rating. I'm a Texas Super Lawyer and serve on the nominating committee for Texas Monthly Magazine. Serving my clients well is my God-given calling, passion and top priority. We continue to offer Personal, Efficient and Aggressive legal services at my firm since 1996.
I filed and won the first wrongful death case in the tragic 2005 BP Amaco Explosion that killed 23 workers. We won incredible results for all of our explosion clients. I presented my last BP case to a Galveston County jury - and the case settled for many times the "final offer" after jury selection.
I also won the record setting jury verdict in the Channelview Explosion in 2014, that killed 1 worker and injured others. The 5-week jury trial record verdict landed Kwok Daniel LLP in the Texas Lawyers Hall of Fame.
It appears we are doing a victory lap in the Texas Lawyers Hall of Fame with our 2 bellwether jury verdicts from the Watson explosion cases, one in June 2025 for $38 million and one in November 2025 for $118 million. We are profoundly thankful for these deserving jury verdicts.
When not working Explosion cases, my firm is one of the highest volume personal injury trial law firms in Houston. I'm so grateful for our world-class team of 80+ talented professionals. Update: we've added more team members in the past year to staff up for the Watson litigation and have tripled our mass torts division. We are grateful for our explosive growth!
Looking back on 2025, we are blessed and grateful for year after year record-setting income from our litigation practice. Partner Thomas Daniel continues to manage the firm well so my trial team may "work without worry" on your January 24 explosion cases. Congrats to all Kwok Daniel team members for setting new all time income records for 2025!
Please know that I take each one of your cases personally. I'm deeply honored to represent 1,000+ of your family members, friends and neighbors. Once I successfully concluded my appointment as co-chair of the January 24 Claimants Committee, I now serve in leadership as "Liaison Counsel" in the January 24 MDL, in state court.
In October, 2024, we fulfilled our mission and took a step towards bringing your cases to resolution. All Kwok Daniel clients have received a partial settlement already!
We look forward to resolving all claims against all remaining Defendants in 2026. We are honored to help rebuild your neighborhood, one home at a time.
God bless, Rob Kwok
rkwok@kwoklaw.com
Dear Clients,
We beat 3M again - for the 3rd time! And finally, we have perfected the winning recipe that is repeatable since all trial testimony is set on the record. After 6.5 for the very first time during trial - the 3M supervisor finally admitted that 3M had "actual express knowledge" the gas detection system at Watson was non-functional starting in 2017, and that knowledge continued in 2018, 2019 and up to the January 24, 2020 explosion. The law calls this gross negligence on the part of 3M. We are preparing for the next round of 50 community members for trial in October. Remember, the Court has implemented a "random" order for trial Plaintiffs, dropping the first 2 letters of your last name and alphabetizing by third letter of last name (so "Chang" goes in the earliest trial groups "A").
As predicted, this trial was vastly different from the April trial, which involved only three business-loss clients who were not present during the explosion. The impact of your fellow neighbors' emotional testimony really impressed the severity of this explosion on the jury. Over the course of four trials, we have developed a deep bench of trial lawyers familiar with this case. We are excited to continue taking your cases to trial in groups of 50 - again randomly assigned by the Court - every three months, until all clients have had their day in court against 3M.
Our processes improve with each trial, and everything is now frozen in the record, so we have created a "trial in a box" that most talented trial lawyers can pick up and try easily. This is important for repeatability. Our AI experts have done a fantastic job of automating nearly every aspect of this trial, pre-trial, opening/closing statements, witness examinations, jury charge and charge conference, and motion practice. So the line is long for lawyers wanting to take their shot against 3M!
Many clients have asked about the cost and length of these cases. Please remember: you do not owe our firm anything unless we recover money for you. Our firm pays all trial costs and expenses up front, including expert witnesses and trial preparation. We will never ask you to pay us anything out of pocket. We don't get paid until and unless you first get paid!
These cases are moving quickly, but with 2,200 Plaintiffs, the process will still take at least 10 years to complete. We remain fully committed to continuing the fight for your community. Several Kwok Daniel office team members are in or applying to law school and will use their "bar cards" to join the fight against 3M along with their classmates. We are collborating with local law schools to include this Watson trial project in their curriculum - credits pending. Some clients have asked why 3M has not paid the earlier verdicts yet. By law, 3M has the right to appeal. 3M has stated they intend to appeal all jury verdicts, tying up your cases in Court indefinitely or until the higher courts rule, wasting valuable resources and money. The good news is we have submitted this case 4 differnt ways with 4 different jury charges and evidence, so no one appeal can wipe out the multi-district litigation. Again, we will pay appellate expenses with no reimbursement to us - unless and until we finally get recovery from 3M. For now, the appellate courts will review the trial record and decide whether to uphold, change, or reverse the verdicts. Our appellate team - the best in the nation - is already working on defending those verdicts while also preparing for the next trial groups.
Thank you for your patience, trust and support. It is a tremendous honor to represent you and your families.
God Bless, Rob KwokKwok Daniel LLP * On November 6, 2025, a Harris County jury returned a second verdict this year in favor of 7 clients from the Watson Grinding Explosion on January 24, 2020. The case on trial was against the remaining non-settling Defendant, 3M Company. The jury found 3M - 49% responsible for causing the explosion and awarded our group of 7 Plaintiffs $118,702,783.83 in compensatory damages, not including interest and costs. Our trial team at Kwok Daniel led the charge in collaboration with Will Moye of Moye Law Firm. It was another terrific trial team effort as confirmed by the jury’s verdict. We are thankful for the jury taking time away from their lives to spend nearly 3 weeks hearing the evidence and deliberating thoughtfully over the course of three days. We are also thankful for the trial judge - Judge Donna Roth in the 295th Judicial District Court for an efficient and what we believe to be an "error free" trial. Our jury verdicts have been featured in the local, national and now global news. EIN Presswire (11.13.25) - Here National Law Review (11.13.25) - Here Reuters (11.12.25) - Here Texas Lawyer (Law.com - 11.6.25) - Here ABC 13 News Coverage (11.6.25) - HereABC 13 News Coverage - HereKHOU 11 News Coverage - HereHouston Public Media News Coverage - HereTexas Lawyer Article - Here This comes right after our record jury verdict in June, when a Harris County Jury awarded over $38m for our group of 5 Plaintiffs back in June of this year. From June to October 2025 our trial team took upwards of 50 depositions preparing the latest case for trial. 3M continues their refusal to settle. A few reminders: * All of you are entitled to a jury trial, so we will continue setting your cases for trial in trial groups of 50+ Plaintiffs at a time. We have increased our staff to include multiple trial teams to present your cases to Harris County juries. We are also in discussions with multiple outside law firms and law schools interested in participating in future trials, so everyone will eventually get their day in Court. Please be patient, this will take time, and we will ask the MDL Court to allow us to try more cases in each setting. * Your settlement amounts are confidential. Please do not share your amount with anyone outside your home or tax professional. Some firms have not yet settled or disbursed funds to their clients - please be considerate of them while they patiently wait for their settlements. * Your settlement amounts are generally tax free. This is not tax advice, please consult with your tax professional to confirm this. * David Medina, the ad litem along with Marcos Cardenas with our team are available to answer questions about your minors' cases - any time. * Several minors have turned 18 and received their settlements; if this is you please contact Marcos Cardenas so we may assist in getting your settlement proceeds from the Qualified Settlement Fund. * For Parents of minor children, Mr. Medina will stay on the case until your child turns 18, for some of you that's another 11+ years! He along with our trial team will be available to answer your questions along the way. We will review and approve payouts to minors and Mr. Medina will oversee the winding down of the QSF once all minors are fully paid. We have a record of your minor settlement hearing and annuity information with Pacific Life. If you move, please update us with your new address so we may start the process to get settlement funds! As always, find real-time updates here at www.watsongrindingexplosion.com
We beat 3M again - for the 3rd time! And finally, we have perfected the winning recipe that is repeatable since all trial testimony is set on the record. After 6.5 for the very first time during trial - the 3M supervisor finally admitted that 3M had "actual express knowledge" the gas detection system at Watson was non-functional starting in 2017, and that knowledge continued in 2018, 2019 and up to the January 24, 2020 explosion. The law calls this gross negligence on the part of 3M. We are preparing for the next round of 50 community members for trial in October. Remember, the Court has implemented a "random" order for trial Plaintiffs, dropping the first 2 letters of your last name and alphabetizing by third letter of last name (so "Chang" goes in the earliest trial groups "A").
As predicted, this trial was vastly different from the April trial, which involved only three business-loss clients who were not present during the explosion. The impact of your fellow neighbors' emotional testimony really impressed the severity of this explosion on the jury. Over the course of four trials, we have developed a deep bench of trial lawyers familiar with this case. We are excited to continue taking your cases to trial in groups of 50 - again randomly assigned by the Court - every three months, until all clients have had their day in court against 3M.
Our processes improve with each trial, and everything is now frozen in the record, so we have created a "trial in a box" that most talented trial lawyers can pick up and try easily. This is important for repeatability. Our AI experts have done a fantastic job of automating nearly every aspect of this trial, pre-trial, opening/closing statements, witness examinations, jury charge and charge conference, and motion practice. So the line is long for lawyers wanting to take their shot against 3M!
Many clients have asked about the cost and length of these cases. Please remember: you do not owe our firm anything unless we recover money for you. Our firm pays all trial costs and expenses up front, including expert witnesses and trial preparation. We will never ask you to pay us anything out of pocket. We don't get paid until and unless you first get paid!
These cases are moving quickly, but with 2,200 Plaintiffs, the process will still take at least 10 years to complete. We remain fully committed to continuing the fight for your community. Several Kwok Daniel office team members are in or applying to law school and will use their "bar cards" to join the fight against 3M along with their classmates. We are collborating with local law schools to include this Watson trial project in their curriculum - credits pending. Some clients have asked why 3M has not paid the earlier verdicts yet. By law, 3M has the right to appeal. 3M has stated they intend to appeal all jury verdicts, tying up your cases in Court indefinitely or until the higher courts rule, wasting valuable resources and money. The good news is we have submitted this case 4 differnt ways with 4 different jury charges and evidence, so no one appeal can wipe out the multi-district litigation. Again, we will pay appellate expenses with no reimbursement to us - unless and until we finally get recovery from 3M. For now, the appellate courts will review the trial record and decide whether to uphold, change, or reverse the verdicts. Our appellate team - the best in the nation - is already working on defending those verdicts while also preparing for the next trial groups.
Thank you for your patience, trust and support. It is a tremendous honor to represent you and your families.
God Bless, Rob KwokKwok Daniel LLP * On November 6, 2025, a Harris County jury returned a second verdict this year in favor of 7 clients from the Watson Grinding Explosion on January 24, 2020. The case on trial was against the remaining non-settling Defendant, 3M Company. The jury found 3M - 49% responsible for causing the explosion and awarded our group of 7 Plaintiffs $118,702,783.83 in compensatory damages, not including interest and costs. Our trial team at Kwok Daniel led the charge in collaboration with Will Moye of Moye Law Firm. It was another terrific trial team effort as confirmed by the jury’s verdict. We are thankful for the jury taking time away from their lives to spend nearly 3 weeks hearing the evidence and deliberating thoughtfully over the course of three days. We are also thankful for the trial judge - Judge Donna Roth in the 295th Judicial District Court for an efficient and what we believe to be an "error free" trial. Our jury verdicts have been featured in the local, national and now global news. EIN Presswire (11.13.25) - Here National Law Review (11.13.25) - Here Reuters (11.12.25) - Here Texas Lawyer (Law.com - 11.6.25) - Here ABC 13 News Coverage (11.6.25) - HereABC 13 News Coverage - HereKHOU 11 News Coverage - HereHouston Public Media News Coverage - HereTexas Lawyer Article - Here This comes right after our record jury verdict in June, when a Harris County Jury awarded over $38m for our group of 5 Plaintiffs back in June of this year. From June to October 2025 our trial team took upwards of 50 depositions preparing the latest case for trial. 3M continues their refusal to settle. A few reminders: * All of you are entitled to a jury trial, so we will continue setting your cases for trial in trial groups of 50+ Plaintiffs at a time. We have increased our staff to include multiple trial teams to present your cases to Harris County juries. We are also in discussions with multiple outside law firms and law schools interested in participating in future trials, so everyone will eventually get their day in Court. Please be patient, this will take time, and we will ask the MDL Court to allow us to try more cases in each setting. * Your settlement amounts are confidential. Please do not share your amount with anyone outside your home or tax professional. Some firms have not yet settled or disbursed funds to their clients - please be considerate of them while they patiently wait for their settlements. * Your settlement amounts are generally tax free. This is not tax advice, please consult with your tax professional to confirm this. * David Medina, the ad litem along with Marcos Cardenas with our team are available to answer questions about your minors' cases - any time. * Several minors have turned 18 and received their settlements; if this is you please contact Marcos Cardenas so we may assist in getting your settlement proceeds from the Qualified Settlement Fund. * For Parents of minor children, Mr. Medina will stay on the case until your child turns 18, for some of you that's another 11+ years! He along with our trial team will be available to answer your questions along the way. We will review and approve payouts to minors and Mr. Medina will oversee the winding down of the QSF once all minors are fully paid. We have a record of your minor settlement hearing and annuity information with Pacific Life. If you move, please update us with your new address so we may start the process to get settlement funds! As always, find real-time updates here at www.watsongrindingexplosion.com
Lawsuit filed - 3 TROs Granted
Rob Kwok has already filed and won 3 TRO's in this case.
See Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) - here
See Houston Chronicle Article - here
See ABC news - here
See Fox 26 news story - here
See KPRC Ch2 news story - here
See ABC Watson/Kwok news story - here
See AP news story - here
See KPRC Ch2 walk through news story - here
See KPRC Ch2 TRO vs. City of Houston news story - here
See 1st TRO vs. City - here
See 2nd TRO vs. City - here
See Houston Chronicle Article - here
See Agreed 5-8-20 Lift Stay Order - here
See 06.21.20 Houston Chronicle Article - here
See 07.3.20 Houston Chronicle Article - here
See 12.30.20 Houston Chronicle Article - here
See 10.4.24 KHOU News Story - here
See 10.4.24 Houston Chronicle Article - here
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