BEAUMONT – A Hamshire man alleges that an electric range he purchased was defective and caused a fire.
Jesse Alton Copeland Sr., Jesse Alton Copeland II and Stephanie Copeland filed a complaint on Oct. 12 in the Jefferson County District Court against LG Electronics USA Inc. Conn Appliances Inc. and a minor known as Jane Doe alleging that they violated the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices-Consumer Protection Act and other counts.
According to the complaint, Jesse Alton Copeland Sr. owns a Hamshire property and the remaining plaintiffs reside there as well. The suit states that Copeland Sr. purchased an LG double oven electric range in January 2016 from Conn Appliances and that the surface knobs on the appliance were prone to rotate because of inadvertent bumps, causing the burners to emit heat.
The suit states that the range caused a fire in the plaintiffs' home Jan. 12 and destroyed it. The plaintiffs allege that the defendants had a duty to design, market and distribute the range in a safe manner to avoid foreseeable risks of harm and failed to warn of the defective and unreasonably dangerous nature of the appliance.
"LG and Conn's are responsible for these damages under Texas law," the complaint states. "It is expected that LG and Conn's will be so callous as to blame Jane Doe for the fire caused by their product, and out of an abundance of caution, plaintiffs are suing Jane Doe for her at most slight responsibility, if any, for inadvertently and unknowingly triggering a surface knob by minor brushing contact, leading to the fire at issue."
The plaintiffs seek monetary relief of more than $200,000 but not more than $1 million and such other general and special relief. They are represented by Eric Paul Edwardson in Beaumont and Rocky Lawdermilk in Beaumont.
Jefferson County District Court case number A-200806