Product Defects

• A woman was preparing dinner for herself and her husband. When she moved the soup from the burner to countertop, the drawstring of her hoodie caught fire. She and her husband eventually put the fire out with their hands, but the woman was badly and permanently burned. She hired HMH to investigate what happened. HMH was able to show that the drawstring selected by Victoria’s Secret was unreasonably dangerous for three reasons—its length, using 100% cotton drawstrings instead of flame resistant fabric, and having a knotted/frayed end instead of using a metal or plastic covering. The case settled shortly before trial was scheduled to begin in federal court in Galveston, Texas.