Congratulations to the team of Albert Stoll and Walter Haynes at Albert G. Stoll, Jr., A Law Corporation for securing a $9MM settlement on complex product liability case.
On December 25, 2013, an electric oil-filled heater caught fire in a Bay Area home resulting in the death of one person, and the severe injury of another.
In reviewing the case, the firm discovered a correlation between the nature of the Christmas day fire and consumer complaints of oil-filled heaters dating back to 1980. Numerous deaths and injuries were reported from incidents with similar oil-filled heaters.
In 1991, the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission recalled the heaters manufactured between 1980-1988. Ultimately, only 7% of the heaters in the market were accounted for, leaving over 3 million defective products in the homes of unsuspecting people across the country.
The firm retained dozens of experts and spent years investigating this case. Through this investigation, the firm discovered that the manufacturer was aware of the heater’s defective design which did not properly accommodate the high electrical current, causing the heaters to fail in a number of different ways.
These numerous malfunctions resulted in internal melting of the heater which converted into a fire. The fire spread to the exterior plastic control panel resulting in a napalm substance that dripped and acted as an accelerant, igniting everything in sight.
The Defense was aware of these decades-old reports, and yet they failed to prioritize consumer safety. In the end, Mr. Stoll and Mr. Haynes were committed to attaining justice for their clients at all cost. They were able to secure the $9MM settlement six days before trial.
To read more about this settlement, click here.
Firm founder Albert G. Stoll, Jr. has been named five years running to Super Lawyers, is the recipient of Martindale-Hubbell's prestigious "AV" peer rating and was awarded the 2009 "Civil Justice Award" by the San Francisco Trial Lawyers Association.
In addition to Mr. Stoll's experience, attorney and senior partner, Walter A. Haynes, IV is a former California Highway Patrolman, certified accident reconstructionist, and former licensed private investigator.
To learn more about the outstanding work done by the firm, click here.
Advocate Capital, Inc is proud to partner and support personal injury law firms like Albert G. Stoll, Jr., A Law Corporation in their relentless fight to protect the rights of those injured due to the negligence of others.
Executive Client Manager
