Product Liability / High Rise Building Fire / Wrongful Death

03/01/1994 - Confidential

Chandler, et al. v. Gencorp, Inc., Crescent Wallcoverings, Inc., Square D Company and Lightolier, Inc., State Court of Fulton County, Georgia. Defective electrical system, toxic wall coverings and building materials led to the initiation and rapid spread of fire. Plaintiffs included the surviving spouse of a tenant who suffered smoke inhalation injuries and survived the fire.

Plaintiffs proved that Square D Company’s electrical busway system was known to be prone to electrical arcing, which would in turn produce a conflagration of heat and flames. As a result of this arcing in the electrical bussway, wall covering manufactured by Gencorp, Inc. combusted and spread the fire down the hallway of the building’s sixth floor within seconds, emanating toxic smoke which injured and killed plaintiffs. Plaintiffs proved that Gencorp, Inc. had actual knowledge of the dangerous characteristics of the subject wall covering and further proved that said wall covering was banned within the industry before it was sold by Gencorp’s distributor, Crescent Wallcoverings. Plaintiffs further proved that the spread of the fire was accelerated by plastic lenses utilized by Lightolier in the hallway. Amount of settlement is confidential at defendants’ request.