Defective Stove Causes Kitchen Fire

This case involves a plaintiff who was burnt by a range stove. The stove was a newly manufactured model and had recently been installed in the plaintiff’s kitchen. The stove was in the off position when unbeknownst to the plaintiff, it began to heat a cast-iron pot that had been left on the burner. A few minutes after the plaintiff left the kitchen, the house fire alarm went off. The plaintiff returned to the kitchen to find that the burner had caught fire. While attempting to put out the fire, the plaintiff suffered second-degree burns across both hands. This particular stove had not been recalled at the time of the incident, however, a number of consumers had reported similar issues with models made by the same manufacturer. An expert in appliance manufacturing was sought to determine if there was any defect with this particular unit.

Question(s) For Expert Witness

1. Please briefly describe your experience working with electric range stoves on similar cases.

Expert Witness Response E-062646

I served as the director of quality for multinational home appliance manufacturer and was the head of quality for the North American division of this manufacturer when the unit in question was built. M areas of responsibility included product safety and as such, I am intimately familiar with the failure modes associated with the issue. I would have to inspect the stove in question to give a proper analysis as to the cause of the fire.