In the wake of the accident, 119 residents brought a class-action lawsuit against the United States Industrial Alcohol Company (USIA),[14] which had bought Purity Distilling in 1917. It was one of the first class-action suits in Massachusetts and is considered a milestone in paving the way for modern corporate regulation.[15] The company claimed that the tank had been blown up by anarchists[7]: 165 because some of the alcohol produced was to be used in making munitions, but a court-appointed auditor found USIA responsible after three years of hearings, and the company ultimately paid out $628,000 in damages[15] ($10.6 million in 2022, adjusted for inflation[16]). Relatives of those killed reportedly received around $7,000 per victim (equivalent to $118,000 in 2022).[6]

owners tried to blame anarchists after destroying several city blocks with negligence… after making 21 candied people, and trying to make a lot more…