Craig Williams v. Techtronic Industries of North America, Inc.

Case Summary: 12-cv-11502

Plaintiff Craig Williams brought a product liability action against Defendants Techtronic Industries of North America, Inc., and Home Depot U.S.A., alleging that a drill he purchased from Home Depot was the cause of a fire that destroyed his barn. The drill was manufactured by Techtronic Industries. Plaintiff used the drill, and when the battery died, he placed the dead battery on a charger and put a new battery on the drill.  Approximately thirty to forty-five minutes after leaving the barn, Plaintiff discovered it was on fire. Plaintiff alleges that the drill was negligently manufactured, causing the fire that damaged his barn.

This proceeding involves a Motion for Summary Judgment brought by Defendant. In this video, the Court hears oral arguments from Plaintiff and Defendants regarding the cause of the fire. Defendants argue that they are not liable because there is no clear evidence that their drill was defective, and that there could have been other possible causes of the fire. Plaintiff argues that there is evidence that the drill was the cause of the fire, that it is up to the jury to make inferences as to the cause of the fire based on the facts, and that granting Defendant’s motion would allow them to continue to make unusually dangerous and defective products. The Court decides to review the arguments and come to a decision at a later date.

Case Highlights

• No Complaint Listed
• Answer to Complaint filed 1/16/2013 (Doc #8)
• Motion for Summary Judgment filed 1/8/2014 (Doc #36)

Case-related documents, including those referenced above, are available via the Public Access to Court Electronic Records (PACER) service. For more information, visit Pacer.gov.