International oil corporation Shell has faced a lawsuit from motorists with broken gas gauges, who seek more than $100 million in damages from Shell and its refiner Motiva Enterprises for repairs, insurance claims and lost time. Motorists used Shell-owned refinery?s high-sulfur gasoline, which can break gas gauges and make them disinform drivers.
The suit estimates 1 million vehicle owners pumped defective gas supplied by Motiva Enterprises before Shell and Texaco shut down about 400 stations just before the Memorial Day holiday weekend.
Last month it has been already the second suit in Florida over the gas, pulled from the market.
Shell spokesperson said the company had not yet seen the lawsuit and had no comment on it. But she said Shell "responded quickly and appropriately to minimize the impact on customers" by suspending sales and replacing defective gas.
After the holiday, Shell said it had received about 15,000 calls from consumers in Florida, Mississippi and Louisiana about the tainted gas. About 9,000 claims have been filed to fix faulty gas gauges in the three states.
