It’s important to take responsibility for your actions – and that equates to actions that lead to failure of products you’ve developed. This is particularly important when those products cause injuries or property damage. But, what if your product is only suspected of being the culprit – and investigations turn out the truth that it wasn’t really your fault at all? This is what apparently happened when the owners of Larry’s Upholstery dropped their case against Black & Decker. It turns out that an investigator discovered that the company’s power tool equipment did not, in fact, cause the fire that burned down the business in 2008.
Go figure. Why on earth you would bring a lawsuit when the fire investigation has conclusive proof of innocence that dates back 3 years is beyond us. What we wonder is whether or not the insurance company behind Larry’s Upholstery is going to reimburse Black & Decker lawyers for the hassle. It certainly seems as if that should be the case.
Check out this excerpt from the report:
“It was learned in the discovery litigation process that shortly after the fire, the insurance company for the Landlord of the upholstery shop sent a fire investigator out to the building to inspect the location and determine the cause of the fire. That investigator concluded [THREE YEARS AGO – emphasis ours] that the fire originated as a result of an electrical issue unrelated to the Black & Decker power drill or its charger. Upon learning of the results of that investigation, the plaintiffs dismissed the case against Black & Decker.”
– Chris Pearson, attorney for Black & Decker and Lowe’s Home Centers
DeWalt released a statement this week, stating succinctly that “This case was dismissed against DeWalt without any payment after plaintiffs concluded the cause was not related to any DeWalt product.”
The owners of Larry’s Upholstery filed the lawsuit, claiming that a faulty battery charger supplied with a DeWalt drill purchased at Lowe’s had started the fire that destroyed their business.
No word yet on whether or not they’ve issued an apology for the hassle to Stanley Black & Decker. Perhaps they feel that the January 9th filing to drop the lawsuit is sufficient.
Honestly, we’d have to disagree.
