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Products Liability Keyed Owen, 8th Ed.
Pearsall v. Emhart Industries, Inc.
Citation:
599 F. Supp. 207 (1984)Facts
Linda Pearsall’s husband and two children died in a house fire on July 19, 1980. The Pearsall home was equipped with smoke and heat detectors manufactured by the defendants’ predecessors in interest. Upon arriving home during the fire, Mrs. Pearsall witnessed firefighters bringing the blaze under control and saw the bodies of her family members. She later went to the hospital where she saw and touched their bodies. The plaintiff claimed that the smoke and heat detectors were defective and failed to work properly during the fire, preventing her family from escaping. The plaintiff presented evidence showing specific defects in the detectors and insufficient instructions for their use and testing. The jury found the defendants liable under both strict liability and negligence theories, awarding damages for wrongful death, survival actions, and emotional distress.
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