Legal Question in Personal Injury in Ohio
Fire causes 2nd fire
My neighbors oven caused a fire in their home - and they are suing the mfg of the oven. That fire, in turn, caught my house on fire. Can I sue their oven mfg as well?
6 Answers from Attorneys
Re: Fire causes 2nd fire
It's possible. I would like to know more about the facts. Feel free to contact my office for a free consultation. 614.223.1730
Fire causes 2nd fire
You could sue sue your neighbor (which would likely be covered by their homeowner's insurance) and then their insurance company would likely go after the oven manufacturer based on your claim.
Re: Fire causes 2nd fire
You need to first sue your neighbor, and your insurance company should take care of that for you. If your house wasnt insured, you will have to hire your own lawyer, but whatever you do, you need to act to get involved in that case. 216.952.1990
Re: Fire causes 2nd fire
Yes, if the facts show it was foreseeable your house could also catch fire. Mfg. will argue it owed no duty to you, however, since you were not its customer. You probably can't sue the neighbors because it sounds like they did nothing wrong. However, if there were prior incidents with this oven, and they kept using it without attempting to fix the problem, you might have a claim against them too. If you join in this, I would recommend trying to work with your neighbors on a joint claim against the mfg, although separate counsel would be best because of the potential conflicts that could develop. Sounds interesting and would like to know more about this.
Re: Fire causes 2nd fire
Your neighbor is liable if they were negligent and knew or should have known that the oven was in disrepair or defective. You are innocent and should be able to recover from your neighbor on a negligence theory and if they sue the manufacturer or the retailer and recover you would also be able to sue them for damages. If you had insurance on your home I would turn this matter over to your insurance company as this type of litigatioon can become very expensive and involved.
Re: Fire causes 2nd fire
You have an action against your neighbor and potentially the manufacturer or designer of the oven. Please feel free to contact me, Pasquale Calcagno of Calcagno & Associates for a free consultation at 1(800)WE-FIGHT or visit us on the web at www.ny-injurylawyer.com.