Huntsman had accused Praxair of failing to properly maintain its own facility in Geismar, Louisiana, and then repeatedly failing to supply the contracted industrial gas volumes that the chemical company needed to manufacture polyurethane precursor MDI. The long-term supply contracts expired in 2013.

First filed in 2014, the case did not go to trial until this April, because of Covid-19 and other undisclosed factors. The 12-person jury unanimously agreed that Praxair had repeatedly breached its promises to Huntsman, directly causing substantial financial damages.

Peter Huntsman, chairman, president and CEO of Huntsman, said justice was “a very long time coming.” He praised, among others, the company’s polyurethane division and purchasing personnel who he said had “managed the constant operational and commercial upsets occurring when Praxair's poorly-maintained facilities went down from 2004 through 2013.”

In October 2018, Praxair merged with German rival Linde AG into a new company based in the UK and trading as Linde plc.

Author: Elaine Burridge, Freelance Journalist