Exploding Firepot Lawsuits: Eight filed in Fulton County alleging devices unsafe
As cooler weather approaches and more people are spending time outdoors this fall, consumers are urged to be careful using gel fuel and decorative gel fuel devices. Motley Rice recently filed eight suits in Georgia's Fulton County State Court involving people who allege that they suffered serious and even life-threatening injuries as a result of ceramic gel firepots, also called Firelites, fireburners and gel pots.
The suits allege negligence on the part of several firepot manufacturers and claim that the firepots in questions can explode, splattering people with highly flammable gel fuel and resulting in second and even third degree burns.
In a recent article in the Daily Report, Motley Rice attorney Kevin Dean said "he is aware of more than 100 cases of injuries related to the firepots and fuel, one involving a fatality in Florida." He also said that the Georgia suits "expand the scope of liability to other entities throughout the chain of products' distribution." Dean is a member of the Motley Rice team litigating dozens of claims in additional firepot lawsuits filed against manufacturers that include Napa Home and Garden, Inc., and Fuel Barons, Inc.
Defendants named in the recent lawsuits include: Ashland Inc.; Berlin Packaging LLC; Existential Ingredients, Inc.; Plastic Bottle Corp.; Ivystone Group LLC (aka Homestyle); Ivystone Group, Inc.; Bed Bath & Beyond, Inc.; Apollo Industries, Inc.; and Losorea Packaging, Inc.
"The plaintiffs allege that not only are the firepots defective, but more importantly that the fuel gel itself is unsafe and not properly tested, as well as the components used to manufacture and bottle it …. So what you have are allegations that the bottlers, the chemical companies that supplied the ingredients, the companies that manufactured the bottles and caps, the fuel suppliers, the marketers — there was no collaboration or testing for safety concerns ever considered when they launched these products," Dean added.
Subscribers to the Daily Report Online may read the full article online. Learn more about the firepot Lawsuits that Motley Rice are litigating.